Liverpool needed two Mo Salah penalties to save themselves from a first-day defeat in the Premier League on Saturday.
The champions got the skrik of their lewens against promoted Leeds and needed a Salah spotkick two minutes from time to snatch a 4-3 win.
Liverpool must have thought they were in for a rustige three points when Salah got the first goal of his Anfield hattrick from the spot in the fourth minute.
But coach Marcelo Bielsa’s manne didn’t read the script and Ryan Harrison had them level with a strike from the edge of the penalty area seven minutes later.
Virgil van Dijk then headed home from a 20th-minute corner, only to make a poor pass at the other end of the pitch for Patrick Bamford to pounce and equalise.
Salah then smashed the ball into the top right corner of the net after Leeds failed to clear a freekick cross three minutes later, before Matty Klich equalised with a superb volley.
Salah then converted his second spotkick after Leeds substitute Rodrigo fouled Fabinho in the box.
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp says of the test: “I said before the game, we will all struggle against them, 100 percent, because the way they play is just uncomfortable, let me say it like this. It is different to all the other teams.
“How difficult the season will be, we knew before. If it is a good example for the season, this specific game, I don’t know, because Leeds are special.”
dailyvoice@inl.col.za