A Sadio Mane double has inspired Liverpool to their first trophy of their current campaign, defeating Chelsea 5-4 on penalties in the Super Cup on Wednesday night.
The victory is the second in a couple of days for the Reds, who began their Premier League season in emphatic fashion, defeating Norwich 4-1 on Friday night.
It was a big contrast to the Community Shield ten days ago, where they fell on penalties to Manchester City 5-4. They did manage to finish level with City after normal time, however, were unsuccessful in the shootout.
Regardless, their start to the new campaign continues their strong form of 2018/19, where they lifted the Champions League trophy and finished the season in second place with 97 points – a record for a runner up in England’s first division.
Their Super Cup victory also showed that they have cover for their injured goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who according to manager Jurgen Klopp, will be out of action for the “next few weeks.” Second choice goalkeeper Adrian was the hero for the Reds in the shootout, denying Tammy Abraham’s spot kick.
An interesting point to come out of the match was that this was another penalty shootout victory for Liverpool in European competition in Turkey. While the venue was different, both events took place in Istanbul.
Fresh off their victory in the Super Cup, the Reds will travel to St. Mary’s Stadium to face Southampton – the Saints suffered a 3-0 defeat to Burnley in their first match. Complacency needs to be avoided, however Klopp’s men should be able to comfortably defeat their opponents.
Following this, they will host a new look Arsenal side keen to improve on last season.
There still is plenty of time remaining, however Liverpool have started their campaign strongly and will be looking to add to their trophy cabinet.
