Divock Origi: Liverpool forward celebrates a goal in the season-opening win over Norwich

Liverpool 4-1 Norwich City: Title chasers start Premier League season in style in entertaining Anfield clash

By Sporting Life

13:03 · SAT August 10, 2019

Ruthless Liverpool gave Norwich a rude welcome back to the Premier League as they inflicted a 4-1 rout at Anfield on Friday night, but there was a worrying sight for Jurgen Klopp as goalkeeper Alisson hobbled off before half-time.

Norwich, back in the top flight after a three-year absence, gifted the European champions a seventh-minute lead via Grant Hanley's own goal and quickly crumbled as Mohamed Salah, Virgil Van Dijk and Divock Origi added to the score before half-time.

The Canaries looked much better in the second half as Teemu Pukki pulled a goal back but there was nothing they could do to prevent a 10th straight Premier League win for the hosts.

However, what could have been the perfect start to what Liverpool hope will be another title challenge had the sheen taken off by Alisson's injury as the Brazilian went down clutching his calf after slipping while playing a goal kick.

Highlights

Official highlights of Liverpool 4-1 Norwich

Reaction (via Sky Sports)

Gary Neville

"I was worried at half-time, I said I felt sorry for Norwich, but I’m a lot more pleased at the end. There were some real improvements in the second half, yes Liverpool could have scored more, but Teemu Pukki scoring was a big moment for Norwich City to give the fans something to go home on.

"They also didn’t get embarrassed, if they had lost by seven or eight, it could have had a real impact on you. 4-1 isn’t a bad result considering where it was at half-time.

"My immediate thought at the end of the game is there is encouragement for Norwich in terms of the football they played, the youth of the team, the energy, the style of play and that they didn’t get done in the second half in a way that could have really harmed those young lads’ mentality."

Trent Alexander-Arnold

"We didn’t come into the game underestimating them at all. They’re here for a reason and the manager warned us that they are going to be a football playing side. They played good one-twos and they did get by us a few times. It’s frustrating for us to concede the goal but we have to learn from it and progress."

Joe Gomez

"For us now, the celebrations are over. We’ve got to focus now on the new season and putting it behind us. We did a special thing last season, but it’s a new season now. We want to focus on this campaign and going one better in the league and getting as far as we can in the other competitions as well."

Opta stats

Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk: Liverpool duo celebrate a goal in the season-opening win over Norwich

Liverpool have scored 15 goals in their four opening day Premier League matches under manager Jürgen Klopp (W3 D1 L0), netting four times in their first match of the league season in consecutive seasons for the first time in their entire history.
Norwich City have won their first match of the league season in just one of the last 17 seasons (W1 D8 L8).
Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 13 Premier League games against Norwich (W11 D2 L0), scoring 43 goals across those games, including at least four goals in five of their last seven meetings.
Mohamed Salah has scored in Liverpool’s first Premier League match in each of the last three seasons (2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20).
The first goal of the Premier League season was an own-goal for only the second time – the other occasion was in 2015-16, when Kyle Walker’s own-goal was the only goal in Man Utd’s 1-0 win over Spurs.
Norwich striker Teemu Pukki has scored with his first shot on target in each of the last eight league seasons (across Schalke 04, Celtic, Brøndby IF & Norwich City careers); a record stretching back to the start of 2012-13.
Liverpool scored three goals in the opening half-hour of a Premier League game for the first time since February 2014, when they were 4-0 up after 20 minutes against Arsenal.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has scored in all five of his Premier League appearances on a Friday (six goals) – the best 100% scoring record on a day of the week in Premier League history.
Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold became the first player to register an assist in five consecutive Premier League appearances since Mesut Özil in 2015 and is one of only eight players in Premier League history to do so.
Norwich became the second team in Premier League history to hand four British players aged 21 or younger (Aarons, Cantwell, Godfrey, Lewis) their Premier League debuts in the same game, after Newcastle United in August 1993 against Spurs (Clark, Cole, Howey, Watson).
Norwich City’s Onel Hernández became the first Cuban player in the Premier League, with Cuba the 114th different nationality represented in Premier League history.

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