Saturday, August 14, 2021
Victory in the German coach duel
Klopp does it with Liverpool like Tuchel
Double the joy at Liverpool FC: The team starts the new Premier League season with a clear victory. Striker Mo Salah is the first player in league history to play for the fifth year in a row. And the long-injured defense chief is back on board.
Jürgen Klopp has celebrated a successful start to his sixth season as coach of Liverpool FC. His Reds, in which defense chief Virgil van Dijk made his comeback after almost a year, prevailed 3-0 (1-0) on the first Premier League matchday against newly promoted Norwich City with German coach Daniel Farke. Liverpool are now in second place in the table – together with Chelsea. The reigning Champions League winner of team manager Thomas Tuchel won 3-0 (2-0) against Crystal Palace at the beginning.
In front of 27,000 spectators in the sold-out Carrow Road stadium, Diogo Jota had put Jürgen Klopp’s team in the lead in the 26th minute. Roberto Firmino increased to 2-0 in the second half, before Mohamed Salah marked the final score in the 74th minute for the over long distances superior guests from Liverpool. The Egyptian is the first Premier League player to score five years in a row on the opening weekend.
Liverpool’s central defender van Dijk had torn a cruciate ligament in October 2020 and was then out on a long-term basis. On Friday, the Reds announced that the Dutch international soccer player had extended his contract at Anfield on a long-term basis.
Ex-Bremer Milot Rashica and Joshua Sargent made their Premier League debut at Norwich. The latter came on for Rashica in the 77th minute. The newcomer was not without a chance. Coach Farke should face another difficult season with the Canaries. Bad omen: two years ago, his team lost 4-1 in Liverpool on the first day of play as a promoted team and was relegated in the end.
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