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LIVERPOOL: Mohamed Salah's impressive recent run of goalscoring continued as he moved to the top of the Premier League with a surprisingly anxious 4-1 victory over Cardiff at Anfield on Saturday.
Neil Warnock, manager of the newly-promoted Welsh club, had claimed before the game that it was "virtually impossible" for his team at Anfield.
Two second-half goals from Sadio Mane, his sixth and seventh of the season, made sure that prediction came true Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp endured anxious final after Cardiff pulled a goal back in the 77th minute – the first league goal Liverpool have conceded at home in 918 minutes, West Ham in February.
Cardiff's goal came after Junior Hoilett's cross was deflected off Virgil van Dijk and Callum Paterson diverted the ball past Alison, who failed to react in time, to make it 2-1.
There followed seven nerve-testing minutes before substitute Xherdan Shaqiri scored an important third goal, receiving a cross from Salah and moving the ball past two defenders before finishing from 12 yards.
And after 86 minutes, the scoreline was given a flattering look when Mane and Salah exchanged passes around the halfway line and the trainer advanced before lifting the ball over the advancing goalkeeper.
Return to form
More importantly, Salah is looking for a slow start to the campaign.
With just three goals before last weekend's victory at Huddersfield, the past week has seen the world go by.
That goal in Yorkshire was followed by two against Red Star Belgrade in a midweek Champions League victory and, after just nine minutes against Cardiff, Salah made it four goals in his last three matches.
It was a powerful goal, but it was a long time ago when it was decided that it was a 44-goal haul.
It follows a steady build of Liverpool pressure, Salah back-heeling the ball to Trent Alexander-Arnold whose cross was made by Mane, his shot on the turn being blocked by a defender, and likewise, Fabinho with a follow-up the rebound.
But he gave Neil Etheridge a chance to make a shot at eight yards.
If Warnock's efforts to talk down his team's chances of getting back to work.
Salah's precise, hanging cross by Van Dijk, where Sean Morrison headed Adam Lallana's goal-bound header off the line, did the visitors look in serious danger of conceding again.
They had the ball in the Liverpool goal, through Sol Bamba from Victor Camarasa's free-kick, it was a close call which would have fuelled Cardiff with a degree of belief at the interval, ruled out for a clear offside.
With Liverpool in their game, Klopp responded by introducing Shaqiri after 61 minutes and, just before the end of the match.
Alberto Moreno's pass picked out Mane in the Cardiff area and, after the striker had successfully shrugged off unconvincing challenges from Bamba and Camarasa, he had a clinical finish on Etheridge's diving.
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