Liverpool’s dominant start over West Brom paid off when Sadio Mane scored the first goal 19 minutes in. It was a great team effort from Jurgen Klopp’s men.
Liverpool continued their recent transfer policy of raiding Southampton when they bought Senegal wunderkind Sadio Mane. That strategy hasn’t always looked like paying off, but Mane was a star in the making, and he was only going to get better under Jurgen Klopp’s guidance.
At the start of this season, Mane already has five goals in nine games. Even though Philippe Coutinho is still Liverpool’s best forward, having Mane score at that rate makes the Reds even harder to defend against. West Brom learned that the hard way when a blistering counter-attack quickly translated into a 1-0 lead:
It was a great ball in from Roberto Firmino as well, and once Mane got the ball, all he had to do was slot it into the bottom left corner.
It’s this type of attacking play that has made Liverpool a lot more dangerous than they’ve been in recent years. Just a few minutes later, Coutinho added a second goal for the Reds. In just their first season under Klopp, they made tremendous strides when they competed for two trophies. They didn’t win either of them, but they look to have built on that momentum with the way they’ve played this season.
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As for West Brom, they can only defend for so long. Already in a 2-0 hole, they need to switch gears and start getting some scoring chances. It’ll be a long night for them if they can’t.
With a 2-0 win Liverpool will go top of the table, so they’ll be desperate to add to their lead if possible. West Brom, meanwhile, came into this game to defend. Having sacrificed a lead early, it will be interesting to see how they respond.