Liverpool continued their unbeaten start to the Premier League season with a 3-1 victory over West Ham. Goals by Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota were enough to see off a surprisingly lacklustre performance by the Hammers.
Express Sport looks at four takeaways.
Klopp’s Salah transfer conundrum answered
Plenty has been made of Salah’s future. The Liverpool icon was linked with a big-money transfer to Saudi Arabia in the summer but ultimately remained at Anfield.
That will not prevent the Egyptian from being linked to the Middle East again in January and next summer. At 31, Liverpool will need to replace Salah in the near future regardless of a possible departure.
And in West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen, Jurgen Klopp has the best possible alternative. The 26-year-old is a prolific right-sided forward and scored a wonderful header to equalise in the first half.
Bowen stooped to convert Vladimir Coufal’s goal. His ability to score all types of goals draws similarities with Salah, who incidentally had put Liverpool ahead with a penalty.
Jones impresses
Liverpool made four midfield signings in the summer but it was an academy graduate who shone in this Premier League fixture. Curtis Jones has often taken his opportunities when they have arrived, earning him more trust from Klopp.
Jones was unfortunate not to put Liverpool back ahead after Bowen’s equaliser. He stretched to convert a cross but the goal was chalked off for offside.
The 22-year-old has become a genuine option for regular starts with Klopp’s side facing a busy schedule. The German now has a plethora of midfielders available after a summer rebuild.
Defence needs improvement
With the midfield complete, it will be Klopp’s defence that the Anfield hierarchy rebuild next. Virgil van Dijk turns 33 next summer and is in the twilight years of his career. Ibrahima Konate and Joel Matip’s fitness issues make them unreliable options for the Liverpool boss.
Liverpool were shaky in defence against West Ham and on another day might have lost. Alisson brilliantly denied Tomas Soucek while Michail Antonio somehow missed the target with a header from six yards.
The Reds might have been 3-1 down at half-time had West Ham been more clinical. Klopp must improve his defence.
