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Two penalties by Mo Salah started and ended the scoring at Anfield, as Liverpool beat Leeds 4-3 in an early contender for the game of the season.
Salah converted from the spot after just four minutes following an unfortunate hand from Leeds rookie Robin Koch. The Whites responded with a superb goal through Jack Harrison, but fell behind again when Virgil van Dijk headed Illan Meslier with a header.
Leeds re-equalized through Patrick Bamford after a defensive mishap by Van Dijk. Salah made it 3-2 in the 33rd minute with a poisonous volley and the score held until the 66th minute, when Leeds drew for the third time through Mateusz Klich.
However, it was a heartbreak in the end for the visitors. Liverpool received a second penalty in the 88th minute when Rodrigo made an awkward foul against Fabinho. Salah sealed his hat-trick and all three points, sending Meslier down the wrong path.
Here, we rate and classify players from an entertaining first game of the Premier League season for both teams.
Liverpool
Alisson: Defeated by Leeds’ three shots on goal. 5/10
Trent Alexander-Arnold: He didn’t have as many opportunities to attack as he would have liked. His hands were busy monitoring Jack Harrison. 6
Joe Gomez: Solid performance at the rear despite being under a lot of pressure from the front row in Leeds. 6
Virgil van Dijk: He led Liverpool to the front in 20 minutes, but a rare mistake allowed Bamford to equalize 10 minutes later. Graeme Souness described van Dijk’s performance in the first half as “stinky”, while Jamie Carragher criticized the Dutchman for being “arrogant”. 4
Andy Robertson: He claimed his first of what will be many assists for van Dijk’s header. Threatened going forward as always. 7
Naby Keita: He started the game brilliantly, but didn’t really continue at the same level. Subtitled in 58 minutes. 6
Jordan Henderson: A typical, hard-working performance from the Liverpool captain, but it didn’t really affect the game. Leeds won the battle of midfield. 6
Gini Wijnaldum: He was the most threatening in the advance of the three of Liverpool’s midfield. Denied by a clever save by Meslier early in the second half. 6
Mo Salah – The most cunning player on the field and the winner of the match. He seemed to score every time he touched the ball. Without a doubt, the Man of the Match. 10
Roberto Firmino: The calmest of the three forwards, fluffed two clear opportunities. 5
Sadio mane – He also looked strong, but was overshadowed by Salah’s performance on the opposite flank. 8
Substitutes
Fabinho (by Keita, 58 ′): He won the decisive penalty. 6
Curtis Jones (by Henderson, 66 ′): N / A
Joel Matip (for Alexander-Arnold, 89 ′): N / A
Leeds
Illan Meslier: Nothing could do the French with any of the goals. His best save was probably from his own man, as he reacted sharply to launch a rebel punt from Struijk over the bar in the first half. He did the basics very well. 8
Luke Ayling: He had his job cut short defending against Mane, therefore he had little chance of advancing. 6
Robin Koch: It was very unfortunate that he was penalized for handball after four minutes. That didn’t help the German’s nervous start. It improved as the game progressed, but far from being a dream debut. 5
Pascal Struijk: All eyes were on the young man as he replaced Captain Liam Cooper. Struijk defended himself well throughout and can be proud of his Premier League debut. 7
Stuart Dallas: Not many would have been able to face Salah today. The Egyptian was truly in his unplayable prime. 5
Kalvin Phillips: A superb assist for Harrison’s goal and a great performance in midfield. Anyone who has doubted his ability to move up to the Premier League has already been wrong. 8
Helder Costa: He looked dangerous at all times and tried to reach Liverpool every time he received the ball. He grabbed a beautiful assist for Klich’s goal. 8
Mateusz Klich: Busy in the center of the field as always, he got his goal perfectly. 7
Pablo Hernandez: Some nice touches in the first part, but no significant contribution from Spanish. 6
Jack Harrison: Scorer of a magnificent goal that put Leeds back on equal footing in 12 minutes. He also did his defensive duties well. 8
Patrick Bamford: You will be delighted to have silenced your critics with a goal on the opening day of the Premier League. He worked hard as Leeds normally pushed high up the field. 7
Substitutes
Rodrigo (by Bamford, 62): He missed the winning goal and struggled to keep the ball aloft when Leeds needed him to help ease the pressure. Neither the debut of the Leeds fans nor Rodrigo they would have dreamed of. 3
Tyler Roberts (for Hernandez, 62): N / A
Jamie Shackleton (for Klich, 81): N / A
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