After Liverpool’s 7-1 win against Glasgow Rangers in the Champions League, Jürgen Klopp would have liked to praise all his players – but of course the main interest was in record hat-trick scorer Mohamed Salah.
Three goals in six minutes and twelve seconds, that has never happened in the history of the premier class. “Special. Typical Mo,” said Klopp after the important victory of the recently anything but convincing Reds. “The whole thing was very important. (…) It’s obviously an extraordinary result and we all know it and shouldn’t make more of it, but it’s the best we could have wished for and that’s why I’m very happy. “
Egyptian Salah only needed nine ball contacts after coming on as a substitute for the goals in the 75th, 80th and 81st minutes. Roberto Firmino (24th minute, 55th) had previously scored twice for the Reds after Scott Arfield (17th) had given the Scottish record champions the lead. Darwin Núñez (66′) increased before Salah made his entrance and Harvey Elliott (87′) scored the final. Remarkable: All three goals for Salah’s hat-trick were prepared by Diogo Jota – according to the data service provider Opta, this has not been the case since Franck Ribéry gave his team-mate Mario Gomez all the goals in his hat-trick for FC Bayern against FC Basel in March 2012.
In any case, the atmosphere in the Liverpool dressing room was good. “We usually have a beer after away games but it was so long ago that I’m probably drunk after one already,” said Klopp ahead of the crucial Premier League clash with Manchester City. “It certainly changed the mood and that’s good, but we all know who we’re welcoming to Anfield on Sunday and it will be a different game,” he explained. “But it’s better to go into a game like that with the feeling we have tonight than with any other.”
After Liverpool’s worst Premier League start to the season in ten years, British media saw a turning point in the game in Glasgow. “As if a snap of your fingers magically brought all her qualities back up,” wrote the Telegraph. “Self-confidence has been a problem for this team for a while,” the Guardian reminded, “if that doesn’t improve after the record win against Rangers, then even the Liverpool coach shouldn’t have a solution ready.”
