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Liverpool v Leeds: Mohamed Salah scored two penalties as part of a hat trick as Liverpool overcame three blown leads in a 4-3 win over Leeds United at Anfield on Saturday.
[ MORE: Klopp reacts to win ]
Mohamed Salah scored his goals 95, 96 and 97 for Liverpool, while Virgil van Dijk also scored, but Leeds scored on three of his five shots as he went 3-3 until the 88th minute. That was when Rodrigo hit him one Fabinho is fouled in the area for the Reds’ second penalty.
Former NYCFC star Jack Harrison scored for Leeds, as did Patrick Bamford, as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk had risky defensive moments in the first half hour. The Reds lost track of Mateusz Klich en route to Leeds’ third draw, a beautiful goal in its own right.
[ MORE: How to watch PL in the USA ]
The Reds have not kept a clean sheet in seven consecutive Premier League competitions and a Community Shield loss to Arsenal, but they will be relieved to have the victory.
Liverpool will face Chelsea while Leeds host Fulham.
3 things we learned from Liverpool – Leeds
1. Dicey’s defense continues for the Reds: If Liverpool’s defense still needed a wake-up call after a lackluster finish to their title-winning season and a Community Shield loss to Arsenal, Leeds gave it to them in the first half hour. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez were to blame when Harrison made it 1-1 for Leeds and Van Dijk made a colossal error of conscience to give Bamford a route out of Alisson Becker. The third goal featured mediocre pressure from Andy Robertson and disorganization from Van Dijk and Gomez (and a great shot from Klich).
It’s going to have to get better and sooner, because next week’s opponent Chelsea have played very well against the Reds in four games during the 2019-20 fixture list (three won by Liverpool with a combined score of 9-8.
2. Special Salah starts off well: The penalty was clinically taken, but the second goal is what will give Reds fans hope that Salah can return from a good scoring season to an excellent one. Salah saw his opportunity when he dropped a ball in the 18’s and crashed it in the upper 90’s.
Salah has gone from 44 to 27 to 23 goals in all competitions over the past three seasons. Neither of those is a bad season considering he racked up 41 assists in that span, but the Reds will find a new level if he returns to more than 30 goals.
SALAH # MyPLMorning pic.twitter.com/TCquP6Qdru
– NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) September 12, 2020
3. Leeds entertains in return with American links: Former NYCFC player Jack Harrison’s sensational goal was Leeds’ first Premier League goal in more than 16 years and was soon joined on the score sheet by Patrick Bamford as the Peacocks twice leveled the score line at The first half. The third goal was wonderful. Marcelo Bielsa’s men have high expectations for his return to the Premier League. They clearly have a lot of work to do as well, but the entertainment was a great start.
Man of the match
Incorrect.
Liverpool – Leeds summary
The Reds outplayed the new guys immediately and earned a one-handed penalty that sent Salah on point for the opener in the fourth minute.
Leeds got the ball into the goal in four minutes, but Helder Costa was offside before he turned around and conceded.
That was an omen when Kalvin Phillips set up ex-Wake Forest and NYCFC player Jack Harrison made Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez look dumb.
[ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ]
Liverpool restored order on a corner kick, Van Dijk sprinting into the area to smash through an unsuspecting Illan Meslier.
But Bamford tied again before the game was half an hour away when Van Dijk didn’t realize the forward was at his side. The Dutchman’s poor clearance attempt was soon to the rear of the goal. Ugly.
Fortunately for the Reds, Salah is still part of their team. The Egyptian fumbled in the 18th and fired a laser at the top of the goal for his 75th goal for Liverpool in the Premier League (he also has two for Chelsea).
Meslier made a good save over Georginio Wijnaldum to start the second half.
At the other end, Alisson thwarted a promising play by Stuart Dallas before Liverpool countered and Sadio Mane fired up on goal.
Leeds got their third draw with a tremendous shot from Klich, who took a pass from Costa that was not challenged by Andy Robertson and missed by Van Dijk and did a neat job to make it 3-3.
Van Dijk was 4-3 when he scored from within on a free kick, but a grab was seen on his scoreboard and the goal did not stay on the scoreboard.
A careless foul by substitute Rodrigo allowed Fabinho to hit the deck and send Salah to the line for another penalty fine.
We could show you the penalty, but really Klich’s goal is the best view:
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