Sports

Liverpool vs Leeds: Brilliant Salah Grabs Hatrick In Thrilling Season Opener

Barely a month after being crowned champions of the past 2019/2020 EPL season, Liverpool returned to action against newly promoted Leeds United for their opening match of the new season. 
With 7 goals, missed chances, disallowed goals and a record or two, the game was nothing short of scintillating. 

The defending champions found the back of the net first in what would turn out to be a ‘festival of goals’ when Mohamed Salah scored from the spot. 

Leeds, on their return to the Premier League after 16 years away, didn’t have to wait long for their equaliser though with Harrison finding the back of the net three minutes later what would have been their first equalizer was disallowed.

Virgil Van Dijk put the Reds back in front, with a header off Andrew Robertson’s corner in the 20th minute.

The Liverpool centre-back was at fault, however, on 30 minutes when Bamford picked up a loss ball to pulled back another goal for Leeds, bringing the tally to 2-2.

In the 33th minute, an unmarked Salah grabbed Liverpool’s third and the fifth goal of the game belting in a poorly cleared freekick from Robertson to keep Liverpool in front at the break. 

After the break, the Premier League champions got off to a bright start but failed to capitalise on several good chances and instead it was Leeds who pulled a third goal back on 63 minutes thanks to Mateusz Klich, punishing them for all the missed chances.

Leeds held on and looked like they were set on sharing the spoils, but the final blow  came in the 88th minute when Rodrigo fouled Fabinho and Salah slotted home his third of the day to break the deadlock and give the Reds a much needed open day victory.

The hatrick means Mo Salah is the first Liverpool player to net a hat-trick on opening day since John Aldridge in 1988 and also the first Liverpool player ever to score on the opening day of four consecutive league seasons. 

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