After Brentford had accounted for Arsenal and Watford beat Aston Villa, there was some expectation that this year’s promoted teams could be more trouble than usual and, given how Liverpool struggled last season against teams in the lower regions of the league, that the Reds would be ripe for the taking against the Championship champions who with some bold signings in the transfer market were regarded as the most likely not to go straight back down; but Liverpool never looked in any trouble against the Canaries.
Without creating many or clear chances it still seemed inevitable that Liverpool would score and when the goal did come, in the 26th minute, it was the Portuguese Diogo Jota, starting ahead of Roberto Firmino, who found himself in the right place at the right time to take advantage of miscontrol from Mo Salah to knock the ball past Tim Krul into the Norwich goal.
At no point thereafter was the result in question. Not that Liverpool’s midfield – an unlikely combination of Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, James Milner and Naby Keita – did anything special and you have to doubt that, with Henderson, Thiago and Fabinho to come back, the starting three will get much quality playing time this season.
As usual, most of the threat for Liverpool was provided down the flanks, from Trent Alexander Arnold and Kostas Tsimikas, in the left back position for Andy Robertson, who suffered an ankle injury in pre-season and will be out until September.
The Greek international showed good quality in pre-season and, having languished last year with illness and injury and Klopp’s reluctance to rest Robertson as Liverpool’s season unravelled and threatened to go down the tubes, deserved his chance to step up, even if Klopp must have been tempted to play Milner at left-back. Indeed, Tsimikas showed enough against Norwich, particularly going forward and with his corners from the left, to indicate that he’s a capable deputy for Robertson, though no doubt when the Scotland captain regains his fitness he’ll be straight back into the team.
Tsimikas seemed to tire after 70 minutes and his concentration wavered as did his form, leading to sloppiness in his play, which prompted Milner and then Virgil van Dijk – who made a comfortable return after 10 months out with an ACL injury – to tell the Greek international in no uncertain terms what was expected of him.
Wanting more in midfield and up front saw Oxlade Chamberlain and Diota replaced early in the second half as Klopp looked not to give Norwich any chance of revival. A smart move, as their replacements, Roberto Firmino and Fabinho, soon stamped their authority on the game and on 65 minutes, Firmino, looking sharp, latched onto a pass from Salah inside the box and calmly slotted the ball into the net to put Liverpool two up.
Nine minutes later, a corner from the left from Tsimikas ended up with the ball coming out to Salah on the edge of the box and he lashed it into the back of the net.
The goal capped off a sensational game from the Egyptian. Two assists and the goal of the game for him; but more importantly he looked hungry, fit, strong and as determined as ever to do well. His performance could not have been more encouraging for the Reds, and the same could be said for Sadio Mané and Allison Becker, both of whom had indifferent seasons last year.
Allison had a faultless game, making not only great saves when the game was at 0-0, but also on 87 minutes, with the game won, reading Ben Gibson’s point black strike to save with his chest and then parrying the ball away twice in quick succession to keep a clean sheet.
