Salah reaches 100 EPL goals in Liverpool win
LEEDS, England, Sept 12, (AP): Mohamed Salah scored his 100th Premier League goal to set Liverpool on their way to a 3-0 win over Leeds that was marred by a serious-looking ankle injury to Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott on Sunday.
Salah converted a cross by Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 20th minute at Elland Road to become the 30th player to reach the milestone, with only four getting there quicker than the Egypt winger’s 162 appearances.
Fabinho poked in a second goal at a corner in the 50th and Sadio Mane added a third in stoppage time, extending Liverpool’s unbeaten start to the season after four games. The Reds are on 10 points along with Chelsea and Manchester United, one more than defending champions Manchester City.
Liverpool look set to be without Elliott for a considerable period, though, after he hurt his left ankle following a tackle by Leeds substitute Pascal Struijk that earned the defender a red card in the 60th minute.
The 18-year-old midfielder was in a lot of pain and Salah immediately
beckoned Liverpool’s medical staff to come onto the field and treat Elliott, who was eventually taken off on a stretcher while receiving oxygen.
Romelu Lukaku held onto the corner flag with the left hand and spread out his right arm to the acclaim of the Chelsea fans.
There’s a new scoring king at Stamford Bridge.
Lukaku marked the first home match of his second spell at Chelsea with two goals in a 3-0 win over Aston Villa.
They were the Belgium striker’s first goals at Chelsea’s stadium, having failed to score there in his first stint at the London club - from 201114 - or in visits to Stamford Bridge while playing for Everton or Manchester United.
It’s hard to imagine there will not be lots more for Lukaku, who has three goals in three games already this season after scoring on his second debut against Arsenal.
Mateo Kovacic scored the other goal for Chelsea, but the third win of the league season for Thomas Tuchel’s team was all about Lukaku’s homecoming.
He opened the scoring by running
onto Kovacic’s brilliant curling pass behind the Villa defense, cutting inside from the left, and drilling a low right-footed shot past backup Villa goalkeeper Jed Steer.
Kovacic pounced on an under-hit back pass by Tyrone Mings to finish confidently for 2-0 in the 49th minute.
Lukaku added his second goal in the third minute of stoppage time, controlling a pass from Cesar Azpilicueta on the edge of the penalty area and lashing a rising shot high into the net.
SOCCER
Lukaku ran to the corner flag to lap up the applause of the home supporters.
He left Chelsea in 2014 without scoring for the team in 15 games, including eight games at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea moved onto 10 points, the same as Manchester United after four games.