Salah makes Liverpool history on opening day of Premier League season

Mohamed Salah made Liverpool history with his opening goal of the 2020-21 season against Leeds on Saturday.

Salah fired a hat-trick in Liverpool's eventual 4-3 victory over Leeds, becoming the first Liverpool player to score a hat-trick on the first day of a league season since John Aldridge against Charlton in 1988-89.

The Egyptian fired home a thunderous penalty in the opening minutes at Anfield after Robin Koch had blocked his shot with an outstretched hand in the area.

In doing so, Salah also became the first Liverpool player ever to score on the opening day of four consecutive league seasons – and only the second in Premier League history after Teddy Sheringham.

Back in August 2017, Salah scored and assisted on his Premier League debut against Watford, a similarly entertaining game which ended in a 3-3 draw.

The following year, he opened the scoring in a 4-0 thrashing of West Ham at Anfield.

And he continued his record of fast starts with a goal and assist once again last season as the Reds beat Norwich 4-1 - their first game of an eight-match winning run to start the campaign.

Salah’s four-season run is the first in the top flight since the turn of the century, with Sheringham achieving the feat for Tottenham between 1992-93 and 1995-96.

As Liverpool began their first title defence of the Premier League era, Salah gave a signal of his intent for the season, seizing on a loose ball to slam home a second goal – and Liverpool’s third – before half-time.

Prior to that finish, Virgil van Dijk had headed home his 10th Premier League goal for the club from an Andy Robertson corner, Leeds’ young keeper Illan Meslier carrying the ball over the line.

Since Van Dijk arrived on Merseyside in January 2018, no centre-half has scored more goals in England’s top flight. It was a characteristic goal too, with all of his last nine goals coming from headers.

The Dutchman wasn’t on his absolute best form, however, as he lost Leeds forward Patrick Bamford before seeing him chip the ball over Alisson for the visitors’ second equaliser of the game.

Carrying on from last season, Van Dijk has now made two errors leading directly to goals in his last four Premier League appearances. In his first 154 games in the competition, he made just one.