Sizzling Salah too hot for Red Star to handle
SCORING three goals or more in a European tie at home used to be a rare treat, saved for the occasions when your team really cut loose.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side have done it seven times in their last nine Champions League games at Anfield.
Occasionally the opposition has been poor, like it was here. Nevertheless, this Liverpool team’s thirst for goals is both remarkable and admirable.
Here, it was Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane who delivered the blows. Salah’s onetwo combination arrived either side of half-time — the second a penalty and ensured that his team could spend the rest of the evening looking forward to Saturday’s Premier League game against Cardiff.
The brace also brought Salah his 50th goal for the club, a statistic that clearly meant a lot. The Egyptian said: ‘We knew the game was going to be tough. The most important thing was the three points.
‘It’s great — I’m happy to score my 50th goal for Liverpool. We know how to play with each other and know our qualities.’
Certainly, Liverpool could do with more of this against opposition that will be rather more feisty. Since cutting loose with four against West Ham on day one, Klopp’s team have been a little cowed by their own exalted standards.
Here, we sensed the tide turn a little when Firmino converted Andy Robertson’s pass after 20 minutes. Mane, generally excellent, could even afford to miss a penalty late on. Salah was already sitting among the substitutes by that point.
After the opener, Liverpool’s attacking players began to play on instinct and they are usually at their best when they are like that.
Xherdan Shaqiri was consistently dangerous, hard working and prepared to graft across the width of the pitch and back to find an opening. One cross from the Swiss player was caught acrobatically by goalkeeper Milan Borjan while a shot from 25 yards was taken low down.
Equally prominent was Mane and, indeed, Salah, who has fought his own battle with form recently. Again, this is a relative judgment. With Liverpool’s football now being played in a higher gear, Red Star started to buckle. Some of the first touch football was reminiscent of last season and even though the opposition were modest Klopp will have recognised promising signs. Robertson should have scored when a lovely combination played him in down the left but he slashed his shot wide. A defender’s finish. But then, a minute later, Georginio Wijnaldum and Shaqiri cut Red Star open down the left and Salah drove a shot past Borjan at the near post.
That goal hurt Red Star but five minutes after half-time, referee Daniel Siebert trampled on their limited ambitions still further.
Liverpool had begun the second period at a gallop, determined to enjoy themselves now that their mojo was back.
Their passing was intricate and slick and they were starting to try things that other teams probably would not.
Still, the penalty awarded them was soft. Mane was perhaps modestly impeded by El Fardou Ben Nabouhane as he tried to go by him in the area but not enough to send him to ground.
Nevertheless the Red Star player was penalised for an arm across the top of the chest — Mane went down holding his face — and Salah drove the penalty down the middle after seeing the goalkeeper commit himself far too easily.
Mane then wrapped up the win ten minutes from time after being played in by Daniel Sturridge to atone for missing a penalty minutes earlier. LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson (Moreno 82); Shaqiri (Lallana 68), Fabinho, Wijnaldum; Salah (Sturridge 73), Firmino, Mane. Subs not used: Mignolet, Lovren, Milner, Origi. Booked: None. RED STAR BELGRADE (4-2-3-1): Borjan; Stojkovic, Babic, Degenek, Gobelijic; Krtsicic, Jovicic (Causic 75); Srnic, Ebecilio (Jovancic 65), Ben Nabouhane (Simic 81); Boakye. Subs not used: Popovic, Pavkov, Stojiljkovic, Savic. Booked: Stojkovic, Jovicic, Krtsicic, Jovancic, Gobelijic. Referee: Daniel Siebert (Germany).