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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Kadeem Simmonds

'Season-defining moment' - national media react to Liverpool's comeback victory over Norwich City

For a brief moment, it looked like Liverpool were going to hand Man City a late Valentine's gift by losing to Norwich City on Saturday afternoon.

The Canaries took a surprise lead when Milot Rashica fired them ahead minutes after the break.

However, parity was restored when Sadio Mane equalised in superb fashion and Mohamed Salah gave the Reds the lead minutes after pulling level.

January signing Luis Diaz opened his Liverpool account to cap off the victory and pile the pressure on league leaders City.

Though the victory could be extremely significant come May, much of what was written in the aftermath centred around Salah who scored his 150th Liverpool goal.

READ MORE: Dean Smith makes Anfield atmosphere claim after Liverpool beat Norwich

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READ MORE: Liverpool next six fixtures compared to Man City and Chelsea in Premier League title race

Here's what the national media had to say about the Reds' comeback win over Norwich City.

Carl Markham of the Independent wrote:

Victory kept the pressure on leaders Manchester City ahead of their evening kick-off but more significantly it was the momentum it maintained in their pursuit which was crucial.

How significant this result – an eighth successive win in all competitions – is will only be known come May, but it felt like a season-defining moment when the Egypt international rolled home a gentle shot in the 67th minute to put the Reds ahead.

It had been a pivotal four-minute period as Sadio Mane’s overhead kick had just levelled things up after Milot Rashica’s deflected shot had given the Premier League’s 19th-placed side a shock lead.

But it was the brilliance of Salah, becoming only the 10th man to reach 150 goals in the club’s history and the second fastest (232 matches) after Roger Hunt (226), which made the difference.

Chris Bascombe of the Telegraph wrote:

Although Klopp had been forced into several changes - Trent Alexander-Arnold and Roberto Firmino were other notable absentees - there were enough chances to secure a comfortable half-time lead had Liverpool been more lethal.

Everything changed a minute into the second half when Rashica’s deflected shot threatened to deaden whatever pulse had still been detectable in this year’s title race.

Smith’s lament might be that his team scored too soon, as Alisson was wrong-footed by Matip’s boot.

For the second time this week, Klopp summoned a cavalry from the bench - Thiago’s introduction was especially influential - Liverpool changed to an unfamiliar 4-4-2 and Anfield came to life with two goals in three minutes.

Sadio Mane’s 64th equaliser was spectacular, an overhead kick after Tsimikas’ header into the six yard box. Then Salah notched his latest record, and by the time Luis Diaz underlined his growing status - he is so popular he has already been afforded the Kop chant once given to Luis Suarez - fears of a Kop calamity had been banished. Diaz took his goal marvellously after a thirty-four pass move ended with Jordan Henderson’s exquisite assist.

Richard Jolly of the Guardian wrote:

Goal by goal, landmark after landmark, Mohamed Salah is establishing his place in Anfield history. Less than five years after joining, he brought up 150 goals for Liverpool with a strike that combined pace, audacity and importance.

As he became their second quickest player to 150 — faster than Robbie Fowler, speedier than Ian Rush, sooner than Michael Owen, Kenny Dalglish, Steven Gerrard or Billy Liddell — he helped transform an awkward afternoon for Liverpool into an enjoyable one.

It was about the spectacular as well as the statistical and it was capped by a brilliant first Liverpool goal for Luis Diaz.

As their other scorers, Sadio Mane and Salah, have both become centurions under Jurgen Klopp, the precedents for the newcomer are hugely encouraging.

Tom Blow of the Mirror wrote:

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.

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