Juergen Klopp saluted Mohamed Salah’s “amazing” solo strike as the Liverpool star killed off Arsenal on Saturday with his latest masterpiece in a 3-1 win at Anfield.
With Liverpool two goals up after Joel Matip’s header and Salah’s penalty, the Egypt forward took possession just inside the Arsenal half and weaved his magic.
Accelerating away from David Luiz and Nacho Monreal, Salah burst into the penalty area and fired home to ensure that leaders Liverpool extended their 100 percent start to the Premier League season.
Photo: AP
“Mo’s third goal was absolutely amazing, but the pedigree of the boys is sensational. Our identity is intensity, and we showed that today,” Reds boss Klopp said. “We had enough bodies and legs to put them under pressure. We had the full-backs really high. The boys did what we wanted them to do and scored wonderful goals. It was a brilliant game from my side so early in the season. It was outstanding.”
Klopp said he was impressed with the way that title challengers Liverpool dominated for long periods against an Arsenal team who arrived on Merseyside with two wins from their first two matches.
“The last 10 minutes, I saw the possession — 53 to 47 or something like that — but over 80 minutes it must have been completely different,” he added. “For 80 minutes, we were completely in charge of the game. We are not Disneyland. We do not need to excite everyone in every second.”
On Monday, Manchester United were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers after Paul Pogba missed a penalty when he insisted on taking over spot-kick duties from Rashford, but Rashford fared no better when he hit a post from the spot in the second half against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford, putting United on course for their first defeat of the Premier League season, as Patrick van Aanholt grabbed the visitors a 2-1 win in stoppage-time.
Palace took the lead in the 32nd minute as goalkeeper Vicente Guaita thumped the ball upfield and Jeffrey Schlupp flicked on to Jordan Ayew, who was played onside by the slow-to-react Harry Maguire and side-footed past David de Gea for Palace’s first goal of the season.
When Scott McTominay was fouled, Rashford, who had scored a penalty against Chelsea in the first game of the campaign, took the ball as Pogba looked on, but the England striker’s spot-kick cannoned back off the woodwork.
Former Swansea midfielder Daniel James looked to have spared Rashford’s blushes when he bagged his second goal for United with a fine finish in the 89th minute, but a terrible blunder by United goalkeeper De Gea proved decisive in the third minute of added time as the Spaniard allowed Van Aanholt’s shot to squeeze under him at the near post.
It was Palace’s first league win over United since May 1991 and their first league victory at Old Trafford since December 1989.
“Two games, two missed penalties. It’s part and parcel of it. If we keep putting ourselves in those positions we will get more penalties and we will score,” United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said. “We defended poorly at times and it cost us.”
Also on Saturday, it was:
‧ Chelsea 3, Norwich 2
‧ Leicester 2, Sheffield United 1
‧ West Ham 3, Watford 1
‧ Southampton 2, Brighton 0
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