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Roberto Firmino renewed
Roberto Firmino’s smile was bright enough to light up a gray December day in South London.
The Brazilian had just controlled a pass from Mohamed Salah before lifting it over a defenseless Vicente Guaita in the Crystal Palace goal.
It was his second, Liverpool’s fifth, and all was well in his world once again.
It has been a memorable few days for number 9.
After his manager, Jurgen Klopp, apparently went to hit for him regularly during press conferences this period, he has paid him handsomely this week.
Firmino’s first here was Liverpool in their prime as they worked from front to back before putting the finishing touches on Andy Robertson’s smart center.
It was an impressive attack that was given the glossy finish it deserved.
The second was as delicious as it brought his personal campaign count to five.
Suddenly the seemingly goal-shy striker adds them to his full game and is now just one behind Sadio Mane.
Five of the seven scored here were from the Reds’ three forwards, which will be a concerning statistic for anyone considering a title challenge of their own.
This irresistible performance by Firmino, Mane and Mohamed Salah bore a striking resemblance to a campaign in which they weighed 91 goals against each other in 2017/18.
Liverpool’s biggest away win in the top flight is a small reminder of the power within this team when the mood allows.
And if the top trio really gets going, then any current concerns they have over what has been the biggest problem in central defender will become an afterthought on the road to defending their crown.
Mo Salah shows his business cards
For 57 minutes, Mohamed Salah will have been biting.
When his teammates began to riot in South London, the Egyptian had been kept in reserve, left to kick his heels on the sidelines.
The reaction of the man he was replaced by, Mane, also spoke volumes.
Their clear frustration exposed the fact that, at 4-0, Liverpool knew there were goals at Selhurst Park.
Entering the fray before the hour mark, Salah will have been licking his lips.
First, a help. to Firmino with a well weighted pass.
Five to zero and it was time to take center stage with two goals that perfectly summarize what Salah is at Anfield.
Poaching and poetry are Salah’s calling cards.
His first goal was the work of a true goal-hunter, finding space in a packed penalty area before ducking inside the six-yard box to direct a header past the goalkeeper.
If you were still on the scoreboard, that was Liverpool’s sixth, but Salah, as the greats usually do, saved the best until the end.
His wonderfully curly effort was the final touch of genius to a match that had been brushed by him all afternoon.
Salah is now 16 on the season in all competitions and his 13 in the Premier League put him two ahead in the race for a third Golden Boot in England.
“I wish I could break all the club records, that would be good,” Salah had said before the game.
It is that hunger that continues to drive him and Liverpool to greatness.
Sadio Mane accommodated by the Palace
After a sterile nine-game stint, Sadio Mane couldn’t have asked for more accommodating hosts.
The Senegalese superstar had undergone the biggest spell of lean in front of goal since becoming a Liverpool player in the summer of 2016 for the past six weeks.
Since the 5-0 fight at Atalanta on Nov. 3, Mane had not registered a goal for the Reds.
While the scoreless run was set to enter its 10th game, Mane’s eyes likely lit up when he looked at the match list.
Half a dozen games against Palace had returned so many goals, before the game and after a sharp turn and a later finish, it was up to seven.
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A pirouette away from Nathaniel Clyne opened the opportunity that allowed Mane to pass Guaita with poise.
Two to zero and the drought is over.
And since Klopp is unable to turn to nine-goal Diogo Jota over the next two months, Mane has timed his return to scoring form almost perfectly.
It’s within the penalty area that the game’s defining moments take place and Liverpool’s ruthless streak borders on the heartless here.
It was never more apparent than when Mane so skillfully finished off an attack that he took the fight out to the hosts.
The look of irritation when his number went up before the hour mark showed her that he was in the mood for more, too.
West Bromwich Albion, watch out.
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