Mohamed Salah fires warning to Liverpool defenders after hat-trick seals Leeds win
Liverpool: Klopp praises Salah after reaching 100 goals
Highlights:
— Salah netted a hat-trick, including an 88th-minute penalty to give Liverpool boosting victory
— Liverpool star Mohamed Salah is unhappy that his side conceded three goals against Leeds.
— Reliable Virgil van Dijk was to blame for the visitors' second goal
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| Salah converts late penalty for hat-trick to put Liverpool ahead again |
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has warned his team's defence not to continue conceding so many goals following their 4-3 victory at home to Leeds United.
Salah netted a hat-trick, including an 88th-minute penalty, to ensure the defending Premier League champions got their new campaign off to a winning start.
Salah scored the opening goal of the game from the penalty spot inside four minutes.
But every time the Reds went ahead they were pegged back by Marcelo Bielsa's newly-promoted Leeds.
Leeds United returned to the Premier League with a bang but were beaten 4-3 by champions Liverpool in a thrilling encounter at Anfield.
Liverpool found themselves in front three times but were pegged back by a ruthless Leeds, who took the step up to the elite level in their stride. However, a late Mohamed Salah penalty - to seal his hat-trick - handed the hosts maximum points.
Salah also scored the first of his treble from the penalty spot after Leeds new-boy Robert Koch handled (4), but Jack Harrison scored an exquisite equaliser (12). Virgil van Dijk thumped home a header (20) only for Patrick Bamford to take advantage of a Van Dijk slip to level the game once again (30)
Salah then fired home a spectacular strike (32) as Liverpool took control, yet, Mateusz Klich equalised for the third time (66). The game looked to be drawing to a quiet conclusion but Leeds' new signing Rodrigo inexplicably fouled Fabinho inside the box and Salah stroked home from the spot.
The usually-reliable Virgil van Dijk was to blame for the visitors' second of the evening as Patrick Bamford took advantage of a loose pass to slot the ball past Alisson Becker.
His centre-back partner Joe Gomez also looked to be suffering from the shorter than usual pre-season.
Fortunately for the defence, Salah was razor sharp at the top of the pitch and slammed in a thunderous effort for his second.
The Egyptian ensured he took home the match ball from the spot with two minutes left on the clock - but he does not want this to be the script for the rest of the year.
"We have to try not conceding too many goals," Salah said.
"We shouldn't have conceded three but this is the game. We have to react from that and we did a good job.
"It is a good start for us. It is a tough team and they press high as well. The intensity was really high.
"The opponent forced us to make mistakes, we can do better, we will do better but I loved a lot about the game against a well-organised, passionate side like Leeds.
"We used our skills to cause them problems, we could have scored more and in the end we used set-pieces which is fine by me.
"It is not like riding a bike, you can lose something in pre-season and it takes time to all come together again.
"I am really positive about this game. Leeds will have a good season if they can keep up that intensity and they did it in the Championship with more games so why not?"
Player Ratings
Liverpool: Alisson (5), Alexander-Arnold (5), Gomez (6), Van Dijk (4), Robertson (7), Henderson (6), Wijnaldum (6), Keita (4), Salah (8), Firmino (6), Mane (5)
Subs: Jones (N/A), Fabinho (N/A)
Leeds: Meslier (7), Ayling (6), Koch (5), Struijk (5), Dallas (6), Phillips (7), Klich (8), Harrison (8), Hernandez (6), Costa (7), Bamford (7)
Subs: Rodrigo (4), Roberts (N/A)
Man of the match: Mohamed Salah
What the managers said
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp: "What a game, what an opponent, what a performance from both teams. A proper spectacle, I loved that.
"It is pretty rare you see that many goals in a game, we have left space for improvement in our defending but that is not unusual for a first game. Our players have played a few days ago for their countries so it is possible.
"The opponent forced us to make mistakes, we can do better, we will do better but I loved a lot about the game against a well-organised, passionate side like Leeds. We used our skills to cause them problems, we could have scored more and in the end we used set-pieces which is fine by me.
"It is not like riding a bike, you can lose something in pre-season and it takes time to all come together again. I am really positive about this game. Leeds will have a good season if they can keep up that intensity and they did it in the Championship with more games so why not?"
Post match reaction from Jurgen Klopp
Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa: "It was a just defeat. Liverpool made it hard for us to neutralise them.
"In the second half especially we struggled to get the ball from defence to attack.
"We also stopped Liverpool playing like they usually do and we made a lot of effort. During large parts of the game we were able to match them."
Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa:
"It was a just defeat. Liverpool made it hard for us to neutralise them.
"In the second half especially we struggled to get the ball from defence to attack.
"We also stopped Liverpool playing like they usually do and we made a lot of effort. During large parts of the game we were able to match them."
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