There was a moment late in Liverpool’s 1-0 win at Bournemouth when the game had become almost entirely about survival.

The hosts were pushing forward, Liverpool were being forced deeper and the rhythm of the afternoon had shifted decisively.

A few weeks ago, that kind of situation might have felt far more precarious.

Against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, Liverpool repeatedly looked vulnerable once the first line of pressure had been broken. Too much space opened up between midfield and defence, and opponents were able to attack the back line with alarming frequency.

At Bournemouth, the picture was different.

The pressure was real, but the structure behind it felt more secure.

Virgil van Dijk and Jeremy Jacquet dealt with crosses and second balls, Ronald Araujo and Milos Kerkez protected the flanks, and Liverpool saw out the game without conceding.

It was their third successive Premier League clean sheet.

For Andoni Iraola, that growing defensive stability is not accidental.

“I think the more time — especially the defenders — they play together, I think it becomes more solid as a unit in the defensive line,” he said afterwards.

“I think Jeremy and Virgil, with the help now of Ronald and Milos, are getting the connections.”

That word — connections — is important.

Liverpool’s defensive improvement is not simply about individuals winning more duels. It is about players beginning to understand where the others will be, when to step, when to cover and when to hold their position.

Jacquet is central to that.

Iraola’s football asks a lot of his defenders.

Liverpool want to press aggressively, commit players forward and squeeze the pitch.

That creates advantages when the press works.

It also creates space when it does not.

For the centre-backs, that means defending larger areas and being comfortable when dragged into open-field situations.

Jacquet’s recovery speed and willingness to defend proactively have already made him particularly useful in that context.

His performance against Fulham was a clear example. He produced a goal-line clearance and another recovery intervention when Liverpool’s midfield protection disappeared.

Against Bournemouth, there was less spectacular defending and more controlled defending.

That might be even more significant.

The best centre-back performances are not always the ones filled with last-ditch tackles.

Sometimes they are the ones where the danger never becomes a crisis.

Iraola also gave an important insight into Jacquet’s early weeks in England.

“He’s still very young, he is adapting really well to the Premier League,” he said.

“I think in the first games, physically he was feeling the change of rhythm, he was finishing with cramps, finishing really tired and we had to sub him.”

That is a reminder of how much Jacquet has been asked to absorb in a short period.

The Premier League is not just quicker in obvious transition moments. The intensity is sustained for longer, the physical duels are more frequent and defenders are constantly asked to reset after phases of pressure.

At Bournemouth, Iraola felt there had been another step.

“Today has been a step forward,” he said.

“He looked solid until the end and I think he’s finished physically also in a good place.”

That matters because Liverpool’s system depends on defenders who can maintain concentration and athletic output deep into games.

Jacquet’s development is also being helped by the player alongside him.

Van Dijk remains Liverpool’s reference point in defence.

His positioning and control allow Jacquet to be aggressive without feeling as if every movement has to be perfect.

That relationship is beginning to feel more natural.

Van Dijk can hold the line while Jacquet steps into space. Jacquet can use his pace to cover when Liverpool are stretched. Araujo offers further defensive security on the right, while Kerkez is beginning to understand when he can attack and when he must remain connected to the back line.

The unit is starting to look less like four talented defenders sharing the same pitch and more like an actual defensive structure.

That is the difference Iraola was pointing towards.

There is still reason for caution.

Three league clean sheets is encouraging, but Liverpool have not suddenly solved every defensive issue.

They still allow opponents to build pressure for sustained periods. Bournemouth were able to push them back for much of the final 20 minutes, and earlier matches showed how quickly their shape can be exposed if the press becomes disconnected.

The encouraging part is what happens next.

Against Bournemouth, Liverpool bent without breaking.

That was not always true during the opening weeks.

Jacquet’s emergence is part of that improvement, but the wider development of the defensive unit matters just as much.

Iraola’s Liverpool are still trying to become more aggressive, more compact and more consistent.

For that to work, the back line has to become comfortable defending the risks created further forward.

For the first time this season, it feels as though those relationships are beginning to settle.

And Jacquet is becoming one of the most important parts of them.