Klopp full of praise as Salah climbs off the bench to bag a brace
SUBSTITUTE Mohamed Salah’s purple patch continued with two more goals as Liverpool ground out a controversial 3-0 win at Stoke City.
Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet was lucky to stay on the pitch at 1-0 after a wild hack at Mame Diouf but referee Martin Atkinson infuriated Potters manager Mark Hughes and his players by only issuing a yellow card.
The official had already angered the hosts with Sadio Mane’s opener, with defenders arguing the ball had gone out of play in the build-up, but there was no doubt about Salah’s two late strikes which took him to 17 for the season.
“That is a proper away game, it is a difficult place,” Pool manager Jurgen Klopp admitted. “Thank you is all I said to Mohamed Salah, it is nice to come on in a situation like this.
“We have a lot of work to do, with Peter Crouch on it makes it difficult and they are good on the ground but we have to keep fighting for the second ball.
“It was very deserved and we are very happy.”
Salah now has 12 in the Premier League, two ahead of Tottenham’s Harry Kane.
Klopp also left out Philippe Coutinho and captain Jordan Henderson and gave Dominic Solanke his first league start as he switched to a 4-4-2.
The opening 17 minutes provided no warning of the controversy which was to come.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain released Joe Gomez on the right who ran the ball to the line before crossing and Stoke were still appealing for it going over STOKE: Grant, Zouma, Shawcross, Martins Indi, Diouf, Fletcher (Adam 85), Allen, Pieters, Shaqiri, Choupo-Moting (Jese 74), Crouch. Subs not used: Wimmer, Berahino, Afellay, Haugaard, Sobhi.
LIVERPOOL: Mignolet, Gomez, Matip, Lovren, Moreno, Can, Wijnaldum, Oxlade-Chamberlain (Milner 67), Firmino, Mane (Henderson 89), Solanke (Salah 67). Subs not used: Karius, Coutinho, Sturridge, Alexander-Arnold.
Man of the match: Salah
Match rating: 7/10
Referee: Martin Atkinson
the byline as Mane impudently dinked over Lee Grant from Solanke’s nudge through.
That sense of injustice, even though replays suggested the whole of the ball had not gone out, raised the temperature.
The hosts then had an even greater grievance as captain for the night Mignolet swung a leg at Diouf on the edge of the area.
Stoke wanted a red card but Atkinson opted for yellow and Xherdan Shaqiri’s free-kick was deflected wide.
It signalled five minutes of panic in Liverpool’s penalty area but that could have been eased had Mane not hit the post.
Joe Allen’s deflected shot ensured the nerves kept jangling early in the second half with the former Liverpool ace later blazing over Crouch’s knockdown.
They were to rue those misses as, with 14 minutes to go, Mane’s cross to the far post was volleyed home substitute Salah.
The Egypt international made sure of victory by capitalising on a fumble by Erik Pieters to slot home seven minutes from time. RAHEEM Sterling scored a dramatic winner as Manchester City maintained their winning run with a last-gasp 2-1 defeat of Southampton.
The England forward — who netted a late clincher at Huddersfield on Sunday — curled home a superb injury-time strike for the Premier League leaders at the Etihad Stadium.
Saints had looked set to become the first team to deny City a victory since August when Oriol Romeu cancelled out Kevin de Bruyne’s deflected free-kick 15 minutes from time.
But Sterling, who is developing a habit of scoring late, had other ideas with his 13th goal of the campaign securing City’s 12th successive league win and a club record 19th straight victory in all competitions.
Southampton had frustrated City by adopting a similar approach to Huddersfield — defending deep, absorbing pressure and looking to launch the occasional counter-attack.
Saints were also a threat at MAN CITY: Ederson, Walker, Kompany, Otamendi, Delph, De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Gundogan (Bernardo Silva, 80 mins), Sterling, Aguero, Jesus (David Silva, 74 mins).
Subs not used: Bravo, Danilo, Mangala, Zinchenko, Diaz.
SOUTHAMPTON:
Forster, Soares
set-pieces and City were guilty of inviting pressure by conceding too many. Wesley Hoedt went close to opening the scoring when his header from a corner was deflected onto the bar and Maya Yoshida later volleyed over.
Between those chances, City — with Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus up front but Leroy Sane out through illness — had a few of their own. Saints had Fraser Forster to thank.
Forster palmed away a good effort from Fernandinho, who had earlier driven wide, and made a double save to deny Aguero and Jesus.
Fernandinho also drove wide, (McQueen, 87 mins), Yoshida, Van Dijk, Hoedt, Bertrand, Højbjerg (Boufal, 64 mins), Romeu, Lemina, Redmond, Long (Austin, 83 mins).
Subs not used: Davis, Tadic, McCarthy, Gabbiadini.
Man of the match: Sterling
Match rating: 8/10 Referee:
Paul Tierney
Nicolas Otamendi headed over and Ilkay Gundogan shot into the side-netting after Forster kept out another Jesus effort.
Southampton slowed the game, taking time over every dead ball situation, while Shane Long also proved a niggly presence. Twice the Saints forward clashed with Vincent Kompany, the first time taking an arm in the face from the home captain and the second being hauled down. Kompany was booked for the latter.
City finally broke through two minutes into the second half as De Bruyne whipped in a free-kick. Confusion reigned for a while over how the ball actually