Salah hat-trick secures win for Liverpool in rousing opener
Liverpool vs Leeds United live: Premier League 2020-21
Liverpool given a thorough work-out by newly promoted Leeds to kick off their title defence and the home side eke out a 4-3 win!
Leeds launch one final ball into the box but it's cleared and the whistle goes!
Good work from Tyler Roberts is let down by his final ball towards Harrison, which has too much on it and heads out for a goal kick.
Throw to Liverpool in the corner of the Leeds half. Robertson in no hurry to take it.
Four minutes added as Leeds send a high ball into the area that Alisson deals with.
Not much left on the clock now for Leeds to try and come back for a fourth time.
That was a shame for Rodrigo but it was a terrible error. Wonder when the last time two debutants conceded a penalty in the same game was?
Penalty! Rodrigo trips Fabinho in the area and the ref doesn't hesitate
Firmino again! Mané finds the Brazilian and he really shold have scored there but gets the ball stuck under his boot. Corner though and...
Firmino! A decent strike from the Brazilian pings off a Leeds defender and out for a corner.
A bit of a mix-up between Dallas and Phillips gifts Liverpool a throw deep in Leeds territory.
Klich heads off to make way for England under-20 international Jamie Shackleton.
Van Dijk! The ball is in the net but it looks like it will b ruled out due to a foul by Jones...
Phillips! It's a cracking effort but fizzes just wide of Alisson's post. We'll give the Liverpool keeper the benefit of the doubt there and say he had it covered but it was close.
Leeds will have a chance to work something from a free now as Firmino trips Harrison.
It's sent into the near post though and Rodrigo is there to clear.
Useful looking free kick for Liverpool as Mané is clipped. Up comes Van Dijk for the delivery...
About 20 minutes remaining in Anfield. Can Leeds pull off one of the great opening day shocks?
Salah has a decent chance and knows he should have done better as he blasts a right-footer into the stands.
While that was a cracking finish from the Poland midfielder Klopp will be wondering just what his defence were up to to allow him that much space in the area.
Goooooooooooool! A lovely defence splitting ball from Costa is controlled first time and walloped past Alisson by Mateusz Klich! 3-3 in Anfield now!
Liverpool captain Henderson hands the armband to Van Dijk and heads off to make way for England under-19 international Curtis Jones.
Rodrigo is on for his Leeds debut! Patrick Bamford makes way.
Leeds are causing Liverpool plenty of problems at the moment and have the Reds pinned in their own half until Mané leads a charge.
Fabinho comes on in place of Naby Keita.
Leeds have the ball in the net again! And the flag is up again! It's Harrison who sows panic in the Liverpool back line and Alexander-Arnold heads into his own goal. For a second time though, the lino has his flag aloft.
Bit of a lull in the frenetic action now as both sides are visibly tiring. Leeds try to work a free kick in their own half but it smacks into Mané, who can barely muster the strength to chase it down. Changes afoot before too long we'd imagine.
Van Dijk rises above the Leeds back four unmarked at the far stick but he can't keep his header down.
Mané grateful to his back four as he gifts the ball to Hernández in midfield. The Spaniard surges forward and hits a decent shot but it's blocked. Certainly got a first day of the season vibe to this game, even though last season finished a few weeks ago.
Meslier! Liverpool work the ball beautifully to Wijnaldum who leathers a shot at the French keeper. He saves, then hurls himself at the feet of Salah to prevent another shot.
OK, we're back underway! More of the same please!
Interesting stat from the first half... Leeds had two shots. The both ended up in the back of the net. Wonder if Bielsa spotted that?
So, 45 minutes, five goals, about 70 defensive errors, one penalty given, one denied, one goal ruled out... could be an interesting second half if both sides continue to ignore the basic tenets of defending.
And that's the half! Not a bad 45 minutes of entertainment from the two sides!
Two minutes added to the end of the first half.
Leeds penalty shout as Costa goes down in a heap but the ref is having none of it.
Throw for Leeds in the corner after Keita's wild clearance. The visitors can't do anything useful with it though.
Another Leeds defensive error lets Mané in again and the Reds have a corner. It's Bamford who's back to make the clearqance though.
Meslier! He hasn't had the most solid half but he gets a firm boot to a Mané shot to keep his side one goal adrift there.
Seven minutes of the half left, time for a couple more?
Goooooooooooool! Salah! Good gracious! The Egyptian fair broke the back of the net with that one, picking up a loose ball in the area and hammering an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net!
Gooooooooooool! Bamford! And that, you can tell your grandkids, was a woeful error from Van Dijk. Sorry fantasy managers, that won't go down as an assist but he couldn't have made it easier for the Leeds forward had he be carrying a plate with a napkin over his arm.
A decent run from Costa down the left deserved better than the cross he aimed at Bamford. Straight into the paws of Alisson.
What a save from Meslier! Unfortunately for Pascal Struijk, it was the Leeds defender who forced the stop as he tried to get a boot to a cross.
Henderson wraps his boot around a shot from distance and although he hits it well enough it's straight at Meslier, who this time makes no mistake as he holds it first time.
Bamford almost finds a way through at the other end but some wonderful cover from Joe Gomez denies the striker a clean shot on goal.
Gooooooooooooool! Van Dijk! The Dutchman flies into meet a corner and questions will be asked not only of where his markers were but also how a header hit straight at Meslier managed to wriggle through and into the net. Bielsa is not happy.
Leeds are really moving the ball around well and a sweeping move from their own half almost troubles Alisson but Harrison's cross is just a little too high for Costa.
Goodness! Mané beats Meslier from a good 30 yards out after a horrible clearance from the Leeds keeper but the original ball, hit from deep in the Liverpool half, found Firmino in an offside position.
It's end to end stuff at the moment and Leeds have not come to roll over and have their bellies tickled, as you might expect from a Bielsa side.
Gooooooooool! Leeds have beaten Alisson again and this time it will jolly well stand as Jack Harrison leads the Liverpool back four a merry dance and hammers a shot past the Brazilian! Glorious work from the on-loan Manchester City man.
Leeds have the ball in the net but it's chalked off as Hélder Costa was adjudged to be offside.
Liverpool's front three have come out of the blocks as though they've had six months off... Salah glides down the right and looks to feed Mané but this time Leeds manage to hook it clear.
Goooooooooool! Salah! The Egyptian King gets off the mark for the season with an absolute belter into the roof of the net. Tough start for Leeds but plenty left on the clock.
Penalty! Debutant Robin Koch concedes with a fairly blatant handball!
Meslier earns his selection immediately as he reads a Mané ball back into the danger area and does enough to break up Liverpool's attack.
And we're off at Anfield! Liverpool in red, Leeds in white, as the Almighty decreed.
Players from both sides take the knee before kick off.
The teams are in the tunnel and we're about to get underway at Anfield!
Leeds have spent nearly €70m this summer as they look to consolidate their Premier League status but arguably the biggest signing they made was that of their coach, Marcelo Bielsa, who was linked with other clubs in the summer when his contract ran out.
Will Liverpool be able to defend their title this season? We have a look at what to expect from Jürgen Klopp's side in our pre-season previre for The Reds.
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For an in-depth preview of today's game, look no further than Will Gittins' pre-match musings.
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Liverpool XI confirmed
Few surprises from Jürgen Klopp, who really wasn't very active in the transfer market before the season kick-off. Still time of course, but as yet only back-up left back Konstantinos Tsimikas has arrived in exchange for actual cash.
Leeds XI confirmed
Leeds United's first Premier League starting XI in 16 years is in! Rodrigo starts on the bench with Patrick Bamford preferred from the off while Kalvin Phillips also gets the nod. Meslier starts in goal having played the tail end of last season after Casilla's eight-game ban.
Rodrigo is Leeds' club record signing after leaving Mestalla for Elland Road for a reported €30m, €4m more than Rio Ferdinand cost from West Ham allowing for inflation and whatnot.
A few players to watch out for today among the visitors. Fans of Valencia may remember Pablo Hernández, a former Spain international who has been at Leeds since 2016 and in fine form for Marcelo Bielsa's side last season. A current Spain international, Rodrigo, joined in the summer in something of a coup and will pose a serious threat to the Liverpoool sticks.
Kalvin Phillips, a lifelong Leeds player, made his England debut during the week and there will be plenty of eyes on the 24-year-old midfielder. For Real Madrid fans, the sight of Kiko Casilla is always a welcome one and the veteran stopper may start today after making 35 league appearances last season before picking up an eight game ban for racially abusing Charlton Athletic's Jonathan Leko.
And it's quite the stadium to return to... there will be of course be no fans at Anfield today but we suspect Leeds' players and staff won't mind too much as they take on the champions.
Arsenal set the pace on the opening day of the 2020-21 season with a 3-0 victory over another promoted team, Fulham. But while the Cottagers spent just the one season in the Championship after relegation in 2018-19 it's been a long road back to the top flight for Leeds, who last played a Premier League game back in 2004.
Liverpool vs Leeds live!
Hello and welcome to AS English's live coverage of the Premier League match between reigning champions Liverpool and newly promoted Leeds United. The action at Anfield will kick off at 18:30 CEST.
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