Liverpool beat Leeds 4-3 in the opening game of the 2021 season. Here’s three things we learned as Mo Salah hit three.
Last season’s Championship winners put up quite a fight against Jurgen Klopp’s side at Anfield, which makes me worried about the encounter at Elland Road on April 17.
Mohamed Salah opened the scoring for Liverpool from the penalty spot after only four minutes before Jack Harrison equalised. Virgil van Dijk’s header from Andy Robertson’s corner restored the lead before an error from the Dutchman saw Patrick Bamford draw Leeds level again.
Salah put his team ahead again before Mateusz Klich kept the Whites in the game.
The Egyptian completed his hat-trick after scoring his second penalty, which was awarded after Brazilian defensive midfielder Fabinho was fouled by Leeds’ new signing Rodrigo.
Having won 4-3, Liverpool will be eager to improve as their next match is against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Here are three talking points from today’s win.
A decent but not the most convincing of starts from the Reds
For the fifth season running, Liverpool netted three or more goals in their Premier League opener. They won, but looked sluggish at times.
The defending was certainly not up to the required standards, with Joe Gomez having a sub-standard outing. Robertson seemed Liverpool’s best defender today and the Scot’s assist for the Reds’ second goal was another point in his favor.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Henderson were back in the starting XI but were far from their best. Hopefully, the duo will seem sharper against Chelsea since there is some time to spare before that game. At times, even the forwards, particularly Roberto Firmino and Mane seemed off-beat.
There’s no doubt that Leeds put in a tough fight but Liverpool could’ve done better. However, similar performances were noticed in the past and the team rebounded with better displays. Hence, we can hope that Klopp’s lads can produce a stronger performance when they play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.