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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
John Aldridge

Mohamed Salah revival bodes well but Liverpool must learn Leeds lessons

Liverpool's opening weekend win over Leeds was a tremendous advert for the Premier League and you've got to give Marcelo Bielsa's side a lot of credit.

There's not many sides these days who come to Anfield and have a go at the Reds so for them to get over 50% of the possession says a lot about their approach.

We got away with it a little bit even if we had plenty of chances to win it and it could have gone horribly wrong.

We need to make sure that doesn't happen too many times because, if you include the end of last season, we have looked a little vulnerable at times at the back so we might need to go back to basics a bit.

We looked great going forward in scoring four goals and could have had more - we played some fantastic stuff at times - but you're not going to win any league conceding the kind of goals we have been since the restart in June.

Liverpool need to look at what happened as a bit of a lesson. People can say we got a bit blase, I'm not sure what it was.

Big Van Dijk obviously made an error and a few of the defenders looked a bit shaky at times but maybe they all just needed the game to help them find rhythm.

They will know as much as anyone they need to defend better than that, Leeds only had three shots on target and they all went in!

You can't always rely on your strikers to win games, we have to get back to keeping clean sheets and I'm sure they'll be working on that in training for the Chelsea game.

If we don't defend properly at Stamford Bridge we'll get punished so it's a case of making sure you do the basics well while doing the right things going forward.

The midfield didn't really knit as well as Jurgen would have hoped at the weekend but Jordan needed the game having not played for ages and will be better for it.

Fabinho did well when he came on and looked better than he did in pre-season so obviously the manager will be looking for the midfield to help the defensive side of things as they all get sharper and fitter, which they will.

I had been a bit concerned about Mo Salah in pre-season as he'd seemed a bit off the pace but he was so sharp against Leeds and looked like his old self again.

You were almost wondering if he'd had his head turned in the summer but he looked reinvigorated against Leeds and right up for it.

With that attitude and the ability he's got, there's no reason why he can't go and get thirty goals this season again.

He's made a great start as well to getting the Golden Boot back and getting a hat-trick first off will whet his appetite.

I know because I read it was the first Liverpool opening day hat-trick since I got one at Charlton in 1988 and it's a great feeling to start a season like that, it really boosts your confidence.

Two of Mo's might have been penalties but you've still got to hold your nerve and obviously the second one near the end was crucial because it was the difference between winning and drawing.

His all-round game was so sharp though and that bodes really well for Liverpool going forward.

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