Sadio Mané scores twice as Liverpool ease past Cardiff on way to top

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says it is “not too decisive” that the Reds are top of the table after 10 games as victory over Cardiff City ensured their joint-best start to a Premier League season.

Sadio Mane scored twice while Mohamed Salah and substitute Xherdan Shaqiri also found the net at Anfield.

Unbeaten Liverpool’s eighth top-flight win sent them three points clear of Manchester City, who do not play until Monday when they face fifth-placed Tottenham at Wembley.

Having also drawn two matches, Liverpool have 26 points – matching their tally from the 2008-09 campaign, when they finished second.

“Not too decisive but 26 points is good,” Liverpool boss Klopp told BBC Sport when asked about going top.

The German joked: “In my whole life I wanted to be top for 24 hours.”

Cardiff trailed to Salah’s sweeping finish before Mane turned a couple of Cardiff defenders and finished past Neil Etheridge.

Virgil van Dijk nodded against a post while Adam Lallana was denied by Sean Morrison’s headed clearance off the line as the Reds enjoyed 80% possession.

Cardiff pulled a goal back with their first shot on target 13 minutes from time, Callum Paterson steering past Alisson.

But substitute Shaqiri restored the two-goal cushion with his first goal for the club and Mane clipped past Etheridge to seal the points.

Clinical Reds on top – but for how long?

This was not as straightforward as the result suggests, with Liverpool requiring two late goals to finally see off Cardiff who were 2-1 behind with 10 minutes remaining.

Yet the hosts’ quality shone through and they will travel for a huge test at Arsenal next Saturday as leaders unless Pep Guardiola’s City beat Spurs.

The positives keep on coming for Klopp.

Mane produced two delicious finishes, while Salah supplied two assists as well as providing the early breakthrough.

Cardiff looked like they would be buried as the Reds dominated possession – yet it remained 1-0 until the 66th minute when Mane doubled the lead with a moment of pure quality.

The one big disappointment for Liverpool was Paterson’s goal, which denied them a 10th successive Premier League clean sheet at Anfield. 

However, it proved only a blip as Shaqiri and Mane went on to seal the points thanks to two late Salah assists. BBC Sport