Reds live up to title hype
Salah, Mane and Sturridge on target; City start defence with easy victory
Mohammad Salah opened his account for the new campaign as Liverpool backed up pre-season hype they can challenge champions Manchester City for the Premier League title by sweeping aside West Ham 4-0 at Anfield yesterday. Sadio Mane scored twice and Daniel Sturridge added a late fourth in an impressive display by Jurgen Klopp’s men as £65 million ($83 million) goalkeeper Alisson Becker kept a clean sheet on debut.
Liverpool haven’t been crowned champions of England since 1989/90 and finished 25 points behind City last season.
But after reaching the Champions League final last season and spending more than anyone else in the Premier League in the off-season, there is palpable belief that near three-decade wait can come to an end in May.
Manchester City, who romped to Premier League success by 19 points last season, began the defence of their title with an impressive win away to an Arsenal side playing under new Spanish manager Unai Emery yesterday.
Attempting to become the first team since Manchester United in 2009 to retain the title, the champions were good value with goals by Raheem Stirling and Bernardo Silva.
Sterling went past two weak challengers to put City ahead in the first quarter of an hour with his 50th league goal. Soon after debutant Riyad Mahrez from Leicester City was substituted, Bernardo Silva added the second in the 65th minute.
In the other match of the day, Joe Hart kept his second successive clean sheet for Burnley in an entertaining scoreless draw with Southampton.
Hart made a couple of outstanding saves while former Clarets favourite Danny Ings made a similarly eye-catching debut for Southampton after his loan move from Liverpool.
“I push myself to the edge in all I do. I’m really pleased to be at this club and to be here permanently,” Hart said. “I’ve walked into a nest of top keepers and I’ll have to be on my toes if I want to keep the shirt.”
Midfielder Naby Keita and Alisson were the only debutants to start from a reported £170 million summer splurge in the transfer market as Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri had to make do with a place on the bench.However, there was little tinkering for Klopp to do up front after Salah, Mane and Roberto Firmino combined for 91 goals last season, and they again provided the firepower to outclass a sorry West Ham despite their own near £100 million outlay on nine new players.
A revelation in his first season at Anfield with 44 goals in all competitions, Salah is now a marked man. Yet, he was given the simplest of tasks to tap home the opener into an empty net on 19 minutes from Andy Robertson’s pinpoint cross after he was freed down the left by the impressive Keita.
Salah should have had more as he was well picked out by a bursting run by Firmino only to place his shot too close to Lukasz Fabianski, who also made a brilliant save to turn Trent Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick behind.
The hosts finally doubled their lead to give the score the halftime reflection it deserved when another teasing Robertson cross was pulled across goal by James Milner and Mane left unmarked to side-foot home. Mane produced a fine finish for his second eight minutes after the break after good work by Firmino, but had the linesman to thank just as much for the assist as he somehow wasn’t flagged offside before firing past Fabianski.
Paul Pogba added fuel to rumours of his deteriorating relationship with Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, saying he could not express himself for fear of being fined.
The 25-year-old — who scored a superb goal in France’s 4-2 victory over Croatia in the World Cup final — was credited with a ‘monster performance’ by Mourinho in United’s opening 2-1 Premier League win over Leicester City on Friday.
However, Pogba — who cost United a then-world record £89 million ($116 million) in 2016 to prise him away from Juventus — is known to be upset by Mourinho’s remarks about his performances at the World Cup compared to those for his club last season.
Mourinho had implied Pogba — whose agent Mini Raiola has reportedly been talking with Barcelona — had flourished under Didier Deschamps at the World Cup because he could not be distracted by his entourage or by his commercial obligations. “There are things and there are things that I cannot say otherwise I will get fined,” Pogba told the British press after the Leicester match in a rare occasion he has stopped to speak with them.
Pogba, who was given the captaincy by Mourinho on Friday, summed up what it meant for him to be happy and comfortable.
“If you’re not happy, you cannot give your best,” said
Pogba.
“You have to know one thing: a player that gets chosen and is happy, you always feel more comfortable than when he’s not happy. That’s all I say.”
Pogba, who was dropped by Mourinho for both legs of the Champions League last-16 loss to Sevilla last term, said there were differences between playing for France and United.
“I am the same, but it’s a different team, obviously,” said Pogba.
“I still enjoying playing football but like I said, when you
I am the same, but it’s a different team, obviously. I still enjoying playing football but, when you are comfortable or confident, it’s going to be easier.” Paul Pogba » Manchester United midfielder
are comfortable or confident and are good in the head, it’s going to be easier.”
Pogba said “everybody was on the same page” in the France dressing room, from Deschamps to the staff and players — that has not necessarily been the case at United with several players at different times singled out for public criticism by Mourinho.
“When you have everybody with you, everybody next to you, you know they want to fight for you, obviously it’s going to be easier,” he said.
However, Pogba — who could still leave despite last Thursday’s English transfer deadline day as most European leagues keep their transfer windows open until the end of August — professed his deep love for the club.
“I always love the club (United). I came from the academy, I played for the first team. For me, it was a dream come true.”