JURG EYES THE PRIZE
New-look Klopp off to a winning start
MO SALAH began the new season with a bang yet again to bag another record.
The Egyptian added to goals from Diogo Jota and sub Roberto Firmino to become the first Premier League marksman to net in five successive opening weekend fixtures.
Firmino’s goal was also a milestone as it was Liverpool’s 8,000th in the league.
And the 90 minutes all added up to a fairly hefty hint that Liverpool – with boss Jurgen Klopp’s new nonglasses look – should be back as title contenders after a well-publicised year off, and that Norwich face another long slog to stay up.
Norwich were 4-0 down at half-time when paired with Liverpool on the opening day two years ago.
Then, a porous defence doomed them to an instant Championship return and, for a while last night, it looked like Daniel Farke’s men had solved that problem.
But Canaries fans will not want to watch any replays of the goals they conceded.
Norwich had been up against it from the off.
Ben Gibson had to slide in ahead of Jota early on when Konstantinos Tsimikas, making a Premier League bow in place of the injured
Andrew Robertson, delivered an excellent cross.
Jota was back within seconds, however, and saw his header tipped over by Tim Krul following a half-cleared corner.
Salah then fired straight at the Dutchman, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain off target with a long ranger soon after.
Norwich had created little in reply save for a couple of bursts down the left from new face Milot Rashica, but could have snatched the lead in the 20th minute.
Virgil van Dijk, in his first game since October last year, looked understandably rusty as Todd Cantwell dinked a ball over the top that put Teemu Pukki into a shooting position. The angle was tight, though, and Alisson batted the Finn’s drive away.
Norwich were relieved when Salah, picked out beyond the back post by Sadio Mane, flashed a volley across goal and just wide.
But Cantwell clearly thought he could defy the odds with an audacious lob from the touchline that only just cleared the bar.
The game was 26 minutes old when Liverpool cashed in on some pretty poor defending.
Trent Alexander-Arnold had been afforded too much space on the right for a while and, although Salah was unable to control his pass, the touch bamboozled Gibson and allowed Jota a simple close-range finish.
Cantwell was perhaps fortunate his foot-up challenge on Salah in the box did not attract the attention of VAR and new Canaries signing Pierre Lees-Melou had to be in the right place to stop Matip lashing in a second. Liverpool eased off towards the break but started the second period strongly.
Again Alexander-Arnold found space on the right and this time it was Max Aarons who had to block from Mane with Krul helpless.
Goal No.2 came in the 65th minute and, again, Norwich were too slow to react.
Mane’s shot from outside the box was blocked by Hanley, but only as far as Salah, whose pass gave the untracked Firmino a simple finish. Then Salah made sure of the points in the 74th minute as Norwich paid the price for heading a corner straight to where the Egyptian was lurking on the edge of the box.
Salah took a touch to get it on to his left foot and curled a cracker beyond Krul.
Alisson denied Norwich a late consolation, first by blocking Gibson’s shot and pawing away Hanley’s follow-up in a pile of bodies.
Klopp told the BBC: “We had to find our way and scored three really nice goals. It’s a good start. We were not here to show the most exciting football, just to get the basis for the new season – and we did. Football is back.”
We scored three really nice goals. We were here to get the basis for the new season – and we did. Football is back