Liverpool has had more convincing performances, even in the so-far brief reign of . But it did enough to deliver a 2-0 win over Bologna at , with the .
There was an early warning sign, when only an offside trap well marshalled by prevented the visitor from taking a surprise lead. But the Reds soon clicked into gear, and it was not long before produced a peach of a cross for to convert.
For a spell, Liverpool threatened to run away with it; it was the turn of next to have a goal chalked off for offside, and the waves of pressure kept coming. But sloppiness began to creep in before the half was over, and goal started to come under increasing pressure.
Between his brilliance, some last-gasp defending and a healthy slice of fortune, Liverpool kept its clean sheet intact. At the other end, Salah eventually made the result safe with a goal that rolled back the years, as he cut inside and curled one expertly into the top corner.
Slot gave a . But certain players did at least catch the eye of the Italian press.
Salah came in for the most glowing praise. hailed him as a "true phenomenon", describing his goal as a "jewel" — although a rating of 7/10 perhaps reflects Slot's frustrations that the final ball was too often lacking.
The print edition of Corriere dello Sport (via ) also gave Salah the plaudits. He was dubbed a "gem", and handed a slightly more generous score of 7.5.
extended the praise to both flanks, calling Salah and "unleashed devils" on the flanks. It also reserved some words for an "overbearing" , out of whom compatriot Thijs Dallinga got no change.
The team as a whole was described as a "boiling volcano", one which "erupted immediately" despite a spirited performance from Bologna. emphasized that the visitor could leave with its head held high.
Liverpool.com says: From some of the praise out of Italy, you'd think Liverpool performed much better than it did. The result was deserved, but Bologna made things tricky — and in truth, the Reds sometimes made things difficult for themselves as well.
Salah was certainly a standout, and deserved more of a shoutout from the Italian media, once again running the show as his renaissance continues. But Slot will have plenty to work on in training for the remainder of this week as he looks to take Liverpool into the next international break on top of the Premier League table.
