BY Jonathan Ledger
Liverpool opened their EPL season with a commanding 4-0 win over West Ham United at Anfield — their biggest opening day win since 1994 — with three goals scored by their dangerous African attacking duo of Saido Mane who contributed a brace, and Mohamed Salah.
Salah, the league’s top scorer last season, needed only 20 minutes to continue from where he stopped and break West Ham’s resistance.
The forward waited at the back post to poke in Andy Robertson’s cross for his first of the season following a lovely build up from new signing Naby Keita.
Liverpool were totally dominant and the 26 years old former Chelsea starlet could have doubled the lead late in the first half but West Ham goalkeeper, Lukasz Fabianski, stood tall to deny him from three yards.
He was, however, powerless to stop the second scored by Saido Mane on stroke of halftime. The feared Liverpool forward was left with the easy task of tapping into an unguarded net after workaholic captain, James Milner, broke the offside trap at the back post and squared for the Senegalese to hand Klopp’s men a commanding lead at the break.
Mane scored the third early in the second half in controversial circumstances, replays showing that the Senegal skipper was in an offside position before burying his shot beyond Fabianski. Forgotten, injury-prone but now rejuvenated striker, Daniel Sturridge, added gloss to a dominant Liverpool display with his first touch to send Liverpool to the summit of the EPL table.
In the other big game of the day, reigning Champions Manchester City began their title defence against an Arsenal side starting the post-Wenger era under Unai Emery’s stewardship with a comfortable 2-0 at the Emirates stadium in London.
Raheem Sterling opened the scoring on 14th minute with a well-taken strike.
The former Liverpool winger, who had a torrid time in front of goal at Russia 2018, waltzed past three defenders before unleashing a low drive past an unsighted Petr Cech for a deserved lead.
Cech had to make a double save to keep City from extending the lead before the half-hour mark, pushing out Mahrez’s low free kick before diverting Laporte’s follow-up out for a corner kick.
Substitute Alexander Lacazette almost made an instant impact after coming on 10 minutes into the second half, but his stunning half volley missed the far post.
Cech, a veteran goalie, made an even more impressive save on the hour, parrying a one-on-one from Sergio Aguero who ran through Arsenal’s half unchallenged following a mistake from debutant youngster, Guendouzi.
However, he could not stop Bernardo Silva’s thumping strike, the Portuguese midfielder getting unto Bernard Mendy’s cut-back to give the champions a commanding 2-0 lead.
Arsenal found the net twice, albeit from offside positions as Emery was given a rough welcome to the English game by Pep Guardiola and his champions.
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