Masterclass with a big Mane course
Major stars shine and help Liverpool retake sole possession of first
Promoted Cardiff was unable to pull off Mission Impossible.
Cardiff manager Neil Warnock said before his team’s visit to Anfield it was “virtually impossible” for any side to win there this season. So it proved on Saturday, when Liverpool’s dynamic forwards produced another masterclass in front of goal to win 4-1 and move to the top of the English Premier League.
Sadio Mané led with two goals, and Mohamed Salah and Xherdan Shaqiri also struck as unbeaten Liverpool went three points clear of second-place Manchester City, which plays Tottenham on Monday at Wembley Stadium.
Liverpool is also five ahead of Tottenham, Chelsea, and Arsenal. Chelsea visits Burnley on Sunday, when Arsenal travels to London rival Crystal Palace.
“It is unbelievable five or six clubs have such a big number of points,” Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said. “It makes it even more intense, good for the people.”
Watford achieved its best start in a top-flight campaign after beating Huddersfield 3-0, while Leicester manager Claude Puel caused a surprise by dropping talismanic striker Jamie Vardy to the bench while the rest drew with West Ham 1-1 at home.
Bournemouth cruised past Fulham 3-0, and Glenn Mur- ray’s 100th goal for Brighton beat Wolverhampton 1-0. Southampton’s game with Newcastle ended in a goalless draw at St. Mary’s.
Salah, who scored his 50th Liverpool goal midweek, gave his team a 10th-minute lead against Cardiff. They didn’t score again for nearly an hour, when Mané raced on to a pass from Alberto Moreno to smash the ball into the top corner.
Callum Paterson pulled one back for the visitors, preventing Liverpool from a 10th successive league cleansheet at Anfield. But substitute Shaqiri made it 3-1 after more good work from Salah, who was also involved in the fourth, setting up Mané. Manager Juergen Klopp praised Mané, who has featured in the past two games despite a broken left thumb.
“He plays with a brace,” Klopp said. “I wouldn’t feel comfortable with it, but he ignores it pretty well.”
Watford, with 19 points from 10 games, eclipsed its previous best start in the top-flight in 1982, the season it finished second.
Roberto Pereyra produced a brilliant solo goal to open the scoring after 10 minutes against winless Huddersfiel. Gerard Deulofeu added the second, and Isaac Success used a clever free kick routine.