Arne Slot Maintains Perfect Liverpool Start; Chelsea Demolish Wolves 6-2
Arne Slot has maintained his perfect start as Liverpool’s manager and made a triumphant home Premier League debut with a 2-0 victory over Brentford at Anfield.
Chelsea’s Noni Madueke, meanwhile, grabbed attention on social media after scoring a hat-trick and helping the Blues overcome Wolves 6-2 on Sunday.
On his Anfield debut, Arne Slot continued his unbeaten run as Liverpool’s manager with a 2-0 victory over Brentford, and Noni Madueke scored a hat-trick and later issued an apology on social media as Chelsea defeated Wolves 6-2 on Sunday.
Before the game, Liverpool supporters serenaded Slot, and goals from Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz kept the spirits high as Liverpool won their first two games under their new manager. The 45-year-old was in charge of his first Premier League match at home after winning 2-0 at Ipswich the previous Saturday to begin his reign.
After nine fruitful years at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp stood down at the end of the previous season. Slot was brought in from Feyenoord to take his position. As Slot attempts to build on the foundations set by Klopp—who exited the team with a third-place finish in the Premier League and a triumph in the League Cup final—the early results are encouraging.
Liverpool took the lead in the 13th minute with a fast break that culminated with Diaz collecting Diogo Jota’s assist and blasting high into the net in front of a league record crowd of 60,107 at Anfield.
Salah put the victory beyond doubt in the 70th minute, brilliantly changing his body position to finesse his effort into the far corner from 12 yards after Dominik Szoboszlai tenaciously regained possession in midfield.
“I suppose Liverpool supporters saw these performances under Jurgen Klopp numerous times. We did a great job today of preventing a goal from being conceded, which is what I wanted to see everyone do,” Slot stated. “When you are persistent in your actions, the results improve in terms of execution. Brentford was no longer able to defend us.”
Next weekend, when his club visits fierce rivals Manchester United, Slot will experience his first Liverpool rivalry encounter.
“Brentford made it very tough for us today but I am not expecting them in the top six this season so we have to improve to make sure we can do it against teams that can end up in the top six,” he stated.
In just 98 seconds, Nicolas Jackson, who was left unmarked to head in from six yards, was the beneficiary of Matheus Cunha’s attempted clearance from a corner, giving Chelsea the perfect start at Molineux
Jackson’s goal enraged Wolves supporters, who were already furious with Chelsea following Madueke’s posting and subsequent removal of a negative evaluation of Wolverhampton a few hours prior to kickoff.
In the message, Madueke disclosed his location as Wolverhampton with the words “this place is s**t”.
After the game, he expressed himself more tactfully, saying, “I just want to apologize to everyone that I might have offended.” It’s merely an accident, a human error.
“It wasn’t intended to be posted in that manner on my social media. I apologize; I’m sure Wolverhampton is a pleasant town.”
Chelsea Crushed Wolves
Cunha pulled Wolves even in the 27th minute, and Jorgen Strand Larsen pulled Chelsea back ahead in the 45th minute after Cole Palmer had restored Chelsea’s lead. However, in the 49th minute, Palmer connected with Madueke, whose shot veered past Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa.
Nine minutes later, Madueke scored again, putting a calm finish between Sa’s legs. With a replica of his two previous goals, the 22-year-old completed his treble, once again capping off another Palmer assist to silence the Wolves boo-boys.
Joao Felix, who had made a permanent transfer from Atletico Madrid earlier in the week, came off the bench to cap the demolition in the 80th minute. For Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, this was his first Premier League victory with the Blues following a 2-0 loss to Manchester City in his first match since joining the team from Leicester.
Newcastle saved a contentious 1-1 draw against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium. Joelinton gave over the ball recklessly, and Marcus Tavernier headed in Antoine Semenyo’s low cross to put Newcastle behind the score in the 37th minute. In the 76th minute, Anthony Gordon headed in a cross from Harvey Barnes, giving Eddie Howe’s squad an equalizer.
As VAR determined that Dango Ouattara had handled the ball before entering, Bournemouth was incensed that they had been denied a stoppage-time victory.
Andoni Iraola, the manager of Bournemouth, stated: “It’s very hard to digest.” It’s clear what took place. That game should have been ours.
“His shoulder was touched by the ball. The referee was forced to prohibit it after someone called and left him with no other option. In two weeks, no one will remember this. I’m incredibly irritated.”
