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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Tom Blow

Liverpool 3-1 Norwich: 5 talking points as Sadio Mane and Mo Salah inspire comeback

Liverpool moved to within six points of Premier League leaders Manchester City with a superb 3-1 victory against struggling Norwich on Saturday afternoon.

Goals from Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz helped Jurgen Klopp's side get over the line after Milot Rashica's opener stunned Anfield.

The result leaves Norwich 20th, five points behind Newcastle in 17th having played a game more.

Pep Guardiola's City can restore their nine-point advantage over Liverpool with a win against Antonio Conte's Tottenham at the Etihad on Saturday evening.

Here are the main talking points from a tricky afternoon for Klopp's men.

Can Liverpool win the Premier League title? Let us know in the comments below!

Reds close the gap

Virgil van Dijk had a goal ruled out for offside in the first half (PA Wire)

Klopp will be a happy man on Saturday evening after a solid display from the Reds.

Virgil van Dijk, who produced another commanding performance at the back, thought he'd opened the scoring just before the break when he hammered a loose ball into the bottom corner.

The Dutchman's effort, however, was immediately disallowed for offside.

Rashica's deflected goal at the beginning of the second half left the Kop worried, yet their concerns were soon eased through Mane's ridiculous equaliser.

The Senegal international produced an overhead kick to make it 1-1 in the 64th minute.

Liverpool fans thought they'd seen the goal of the day from Mane, but Salah's winner was even better.

The Egyptian controlled a long ball from Alisson over his shoulder before deceiving the defence and rolling the ball into the back of the net. It was a moment of pure class.

After that, a Liverpool victory felt inevitable.

Full-backs switch

Kostas Tsimikas delivered another impressive performance at left-back (PA Wire)

There were a couple of surprises in the Liverpool line-up, as Joe Gomez made his first Premier League start in 15 months at right-back and Kostas Tsimikas was picked down the other flank.

Gomez didn't offer Liverpool the same quality as Trent Alexander-Arnold - who was rested on Saturday - although few players would.

The Englishman is capable of playing at right-back but is more suited to a central role. And with Van Dijk playing so well, Gomez may have to wait for his chance at centre-back.

Tsimikas did well again, setting up Mane's equaliser to remind Liverpool fans why he's a good understudy for Andy Robertson.

Lovely Luis

Signing Luis Diaz looks like a quality bit of business from Liverpool (REUTERS)

When Liverpool wished Jamie Carragher a happy birthday last month, the iconic defender replied: "Luis Diaz would be a lovely birthday present."

The Reds listened - signing Diaz a couple of days later - and it's since become clear why Carragher was so desperate for his former employers to get the deal done.

The Colombian - who scored 14 league goals for Porto during the first half of the season - looks like a Liverpool legend in the making.

He's got all the traits needed to be a success in Klopp's team, as well as an x-factor that's certain to entertain Anfield for years to come.

The crowing moment of Diaz's performance was his late goal, dinking the ball over goalkeeper Angus Gunn to secure all three points for his new team.

Klopp rotates his stars

Joe Gomez got the nod at right-back, with Trent Alexander-Arnold rested (Getty Images)

Alexander-Arnold and Robertson were among the players not to feature on Saturday.

The Reds have two important fixtures coming up in the next eight days, taking on Leeds at Anfield on Wednesday and then Chelsea in the EFL Cup final next Sunday.

It's unclear who will start the latter game, although Klopp will have Thomas Tuchel's side in mind. It's also another example of what the German has at his disposal.

Worrying times for Norwich

Norwich manager Dean Smith is hoping to inspire his team to Premier League survival (REUTERS)

Saturday's defeat leaves Norwich in a perilous position with only 13 games remaining.

It's not all bad news for the Canaries, though. They've improved significantly under Dean Smith, beating Everton and Watford before their recent defeats to Man City and Liverpool.

They've also got a decent run of games against Southampton, Brentford and Leeds coming up - and they've only got three fixtures against the so-called "Top Six" remaining.

Norwich's fate isn't secure just yet, but their fans won't enjoy looking at the table on Saturday evening. It's imperative they don't let the Liverpool defeat crush their confidence.

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