Liverpool kick-started the new campaign with the curtain-raiser, cruising to a 4-1 win over Norwich City at Anfield. In truth, the match was over by half-time, despite the visitors putting in a valiant shift and even clawing back a rare goal conceded by the Reds at home.
Misfortune broke the deadlock early, when Grant Hanley sliced a Divock Origi cross into his own net in the seventh minute. To the Canaries’ credit, they continued to play and caused Liverpool trouble, but could not close the gap in quality. Within a dozen minutes, Mo Salah doubled the Reds’ advantage.
Just over ten more and the home side were pulling away, with Virgil van Dijk heading home a corner kick. Just before the break, Divock Origi headed home the fourth, finishing sumptuous service from Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The only surprise was that they did not score more, as they penned Norwich into their own end for large stretches of the second half, despite conceding one. Going forward, the Reds looked ready for the new challenge. Defensively, they still need some sorting and will hope Alisson does not miss much time through injury.
Here are four findings from the match:
