An opening day thriller that the Reds edged despite not quite being at their best, and that is reflected in the player ratings from the local Echo newspaper. Mo Salah obviously the pick of the lot for his hat trick, but plenty of 5′ and 6’s, indicating that this was a far from comfortable win for the Reds.

A tough opening day fixture for defending champions Liverpool as they were given a real scare by newly promoted Leeds, but Jurgen Klopp’s men managed to pick up all three points thanks to a late penalty.

Salah emulates John Aldridge

With his hat trick against Leeds, Salah became the first Liverpool player to do so on the opening day of a new league campaign since John Aldridge back in the late 80’s.

The pick of his goals was obviously the middle one, but the Egyptian star showed great mental strength to put away both penalties, especially the second one at the death. Good sides get the job done even when they’re not at their best, and Salah’s performance was integral to LFC’s win here.

Leeds will trouble a lot of sides

We were all looking forward to seeing Leeds United and Marcelo Bielsa in the top flight, and they didn’t disappoint. Not many clubs can cut open the Reds the way Bielsa’s Whites did (their third goal in particular was fantastic to watch).

If not for new signing Rodrigo Moreno’s late moment of madness, Leeds would’ve managed to come away with a point, and it would’ve been thoroughly deserved. Continue reading →