Mohamed Salah’s treble can’t disguise Liverpool’s problems in defence

The thud of ball meeting Mohamed Salah’s left boot was the loudest noise inside Anfield.

Louder than the daft new Premier League anthem, louder than Jurgen Klopp’s urgings as Leeds United gave the champions an entertaining fright.

Marcelo Bielsa’s wonderfully adventurous new boys had just conjured up a second leveller and you could tell there was a touch of anxiety in home ranks.

Virgil van Dijk was perspiring.

And then, a clearing header bounced into Salah’s vicinity and was struck with violent sweetness.

It was a loud, emphatic reminder of why Liverpool’s title defence is unlikely to be gravely undermined by a relative lack of transfer activity.

It was a loud, emphatic reminder of why, as long as their prize trio of attackers are operating together, Liverpool should be very warm title favourites, not behind Manchester City in bookmakers’ lists.

Yes, this was slapdash.

Yes, on this evidence, a defensive recruit before the window closes would not go amiss.

Yes, lovely Leeds might have exposed a complacency about a team that has almost made winning a divine right.

And yes, after Leeds had produced a third equaliser in the second half, Liverpool needed the silliest of challenges from Rodrigo to give them a second, winning penalty.

But when you have a Salah in your side, you have a head start on the rest.

Four seasons on the spin, he has scored in the opening fixture of Liverpool’s campaign.

In those Premier League seasons, he has gone on to score 32, 22 and 19 goals.

His hat-trick here means he now has 76 goals in 109 Premier league appearances.

That is some strike rate.

Liverpool’s great successes in the transfer market over recent years have been the recruitment of Van Dijk and Alisson … and keeping Salah sweet.

The danger of Salah, or Sadio Mane or Roberto Firmino, being tempted by a move abroad, has surely now elapsed, but it has been there.

Salah, though, looks suitably delighted to be steaming forward under Klopp.

And he looks as sharp as his summer haircut.

Salah turned 28 three months ago and looks every inch a player in his prime.

He certainly does not need the sort of help he got from Michael Oliver for his first of the evening.

Under the current handball interpretation, it is not offence if the arm is struck by a deflection off the body.

And Salah’s strike veered sharply off Robin Koch’s knee before striking his outstretched arm.

Oliver should at least have been told to go to the monitor, although you get the impression he is one of those referees who might be a little too proud to take a second look.

It was harsh on Koch, whose evening got a little worse when he allowed Van Dijk a free run at Andrew Robertson’s corner, making the centre-half’s scoring header a formality.

That restored Liverpool’s lead, Jack Harrison having equalised with a peach of a solo effort.

With his run and strike, he exposed shortcomings in Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez that normally remain well hidden.

Not as well hidden as any Van Dijk shortcomings but one was exposed by Leeds’ second equaliser, Patrick Bamford’s pressure forcing the error that gave the Leeds striker his opening.

It was a just reward for Leeds, who were enterprising and slick throughout proceedings.

But almost immediately, Salah produced that thud.

It was not the decisive thud, a slick second half move and neat finish from Mateusz Klich saw to that.

Salah, though, almost inevitably, would have the final say.

He was given his voice by Rodrigo, the record signing making the most inauspicious and inexcusable of starts with his stupid half-challenge on Fabinho.

Illan Meslier expected the thumping drive down the centre, Salah finessed his penalty to the keeper’s right.

And Salah and Liverpool had done what they do so often. Found a way to win.

Maybe that’s why Klopp is not spending.