On the day Liverpool played under his strength, Mohamed Salah shined brightly to help “Red Brigade” win 3 points against Leeds United, the newly promoted team.

On the evening of September 12 (Hanoi time), Liverpool welcomed Leeds at Anfield’s home field in the first round of the Premier League season 2020/21. This is a match where coach and coach Juergen Klopp are expected to face many difficulties because under the leadership of Marcelo Bielsa, Leeds always shows an unpleasant style.

It was just like that on the field. Leeds had 3 times to level the score before the home team. With 2 minutes remaining official time, Salah scored a 4-3 goal for Liverpool, ending the strenuous day of the defending Premier League champions.

The bravery of big players
In the 87th minute, from the situation of the ball, Fabinho tried to get the ball and was fouled by Rodrigo Moreno. The referee Michael Olivier immediately pointed to the spot.

Salah stepped forward, taking responsibility for the decisive kick for Liverpool. The Egyptian striker took a deep breath, his face showed tension, but in the end, he still defeated goalkeeper Meslier.

In the first half, Salah opened the score for Liverpool also from 11 m in the 4th minute. Then, he made a decisive kick, put the ball in the top corner, raising the score to 3-2 in the 33rd minute.

When the final whistle sounded, Salah was given the ball by Alisson Becker to take home, because he scored a hat-trick. Many people may not appreciate this hat-trick because 2 out of 3 goals came from the penalty spot.

However, Salah deserves praise, because there are two important penalties: opening and fixing the score. He overcame the pressure.

Liverpool vs Leeds Brother 2
This is not the first time that Salah has succeeded in decisive kicks. In the 2018/19 Champions League final against Tottenham, he scored the opener for Liverpool on penalties. In the Premier League 2019/20, Salah also set a 2-1 victory for the home team against “Spurs” from a distance of 11 meters.

Since joining Liverpool, Salah has taken 11 penalty kicks for this team. He scored in all 11 situations. This shows how steady Salah’s mentality is.

In the match with Leeds, Salah was not only cold and decisive in finishing situations, but also the person who showed the best ball feeling on the side of Liverpool.

He created a series of opportunities for teammates such as Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino to finish with smart slot situations or one-touch pass. However, Salah’s partner did not take advantage of the success when he showed a lack of sharpness in the decisive stages.

Not only that, when Liverpool have difficulty in deploying attacks, Salah offers a solution thanks to the ability to receive the ball in a back-facing position. Thanks to his muscle strength, he was able to press, receive and hold the ball while the tall defenders of Leeds were close behind.

In addition, Salah also has skillful and speedy ball dribbles, opening up opportunities for the home team. He has 7 successful passes, most matches.

The Premier League organizers voted Salah the best player of the match. Whoscored gave him an almost absolute score of 9.9. These are evidences that show the excellence of the Egyptian striker.

In four consecutive seasons, Salah scored in Liverpool’s opening match in the Premier League. That shows the concentration, training efforts of this player

In Liverpool, Salah is the most hardworking person. He is regularly present at the gym to improve his fitness and strength. That is also the reason why Salah has been successful with the “Red Brigade”, despite the fact that when he first arrived, he was suspected of and later called a player for a season.

Now, Salah is able to fight hand-to-hand, and even gain an advantage over any big player.

Lots of Liverpool’s problems
In this match, Leeds played well and controlled the ball 51.6%. Even in the first 15 minutes of the second half, this number reached 63%. They really cause problems for Liverpool thanks to the talented leadership of coach Bielsa.

However, it is undeniable that Liverpool played badly. Most of the home team players have a bad feeling, including Firmino, who is considered to have the best technique in the team. The Brazilian and Mane both have a good chance of eating, but the quality in the shots is too bad.

The numbers on the ball control above show that the Liverpool midfield is not working effectively. Naby Keita, Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum were all under 7 points by Whoscored.

If they do not fix the problems soon, Liverpool can be punished by the spearheads who are eager to show themselves like Timo Werner, Kai Havertz.