Weghorst meets for the first time
Klopp sees a dream goal and City on the horizon
2/19/2022, 6:31 p.m
Liverpool are again at least six points behind leaders Manchester City. Jürgen Klopp’s team countered a deficit against relegation candidate Norwich. Thomas Tuchel, newly crowned club world champion, can also celebrate after a complicated game.
Liverpool FC stays close to leaders Manchester City in the English Premier League. Thanks to their offensive stars Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah, coach Jürgen Klopp’s Reds turned a deficit against relegation candidate Norwich City in just a few minutes and won 3-1 (0-0) at home in Anfield. First, Liverpool reduced the gap to leaders City to six points. At the same time, club world champions FC Chelsea struggled to make it 1-0 (0-0) at Crystal Palace.
With a mixture of overhead kick and side kick, Africa Cup winner Mané (64th minute) equalized for Liverpool before Salah (67th) turned the game around with his 150th goal for the Reds. Goalkeeper Alisson provided the template for Salah with a wide tee shot. Winter signing Luis Díaz (81st) finally made everything clear for the Klopp team. Previously, the former Bremen Milot Rashica (48th) outsider Norwich shot into the lead. Liverpool’s Joel Matip had deflected Rashica’s shot past Alisson.
“We reacted very well”
Captain Jordan Henderson was satisfied after the brief shock: “We reacted very well to the deficit. In the end it’s a decent win. We could have scored a goal or two in the first half,” said midfielder Sky Sport. “We got stronger and stronger as the game went on. The shots were sensational, what nice goals. As I said, we reacted very well.”
A week after winning the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi, Chelsea struggled against the defensive Crystal Palace for a long time. Just a few minutes before the final whistle, Hakim Ziyech (89′) scored the winning goal for coach Thomas Tuchel’s team. In the 75th minute, an alleged goal by Ziyech was disallowed after a minute-long VAR analysis because Romelu Lukaku had just been offside. After 25 games, the Blues sit third in the Premier League table with 50 points, while Liverpool are second with 57 points. The two sides meet in the League Cup final at London’s Wembley Stadium next Sunday.
Meanwhile, former Bundesliga goalscorer Wout Weghorst scored his first goal on the island. The former Wolfsburg player, who joined Burnley FC in the winter, scored in the vital 3-0 win at Brighton & Hove Albion. The away win left the club in last place in the Premier League for the time being. However, the road to relegation remains very, very long: The gap to the first non-relegation zone, which is currently the heaviest Newcastle, is five points. Newcastle have played two games less.