Salah opened the scoring as Liverpool got their first Premier League win of 2023 with a comfortable Merseyside derby victory over Everton at Anfield.
Dutch forward Cody Gakpo also scored his first goal for the Reds to seal the win after barren returns in his previous games since arriving from Eredivisie side PSV Eindhoven.
Everton had kept Liverpool at bay for over half an hour before a trademark counter-attacking burst from the Reds resulted in the ball nestling in the back of Pickford’s net. James Tarkowski, who had gotten them the win over Arsenal the previous weekend with a header, hit the post with a header before Darwin Nunez raced clear, squaring for Mohamed Salah to take advantage of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s poor positioning with a simple finish.
Liverpool snuffed out any hopes of an Everton recovery four minutes after the break with was a special moment for £45m January signing Cody Gakpo, as he tapped in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross at the far post.
Sean Dyche’s reign as Everton manager got off to the perfect start with a win over league leaders Arsenal at Goodison Park, but the task he has taken on after succeeding sacked Frank Lampard was laid out before him in graphic detail as they remain rooted in the bottom three.
Jurgen Klopp was excited about the statement this win passed across to the team, the teeming fans and their league opposition after the game.