Slot extends perfect Liverpool start, Chelsea hits Wolves for six

LONDON — Arne Slot extended his perfect start as Liverpool manager with a 2-0 win against Brentford on his Anfield debut, while Noni Madueke hit a hat-trick and then apologized for a social media faux pas, as Chelsea crushed Wolves 6-2 on Sunday.

Slot was serenaded by Liverpool fans before kickoff, and goals from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah ensured the mood remained upbeat, as Liverpool made it two successive victories under the new boss.

The 45-year-old was taking charge of his first Premier League home game after opening his tenure with a 2-0 win at Ipswich the previous weekend.

Slot was hired from Feyenoord to replace Jurgen Klopp after the German stepped down at the end of last term following nine relatively successful years at Anfield.

The early signs are promising for Slot, as he looks to build on the foundations laid by Klopp, who bowed out with a third-placed finish in the Premier League and a League Cup final victory last season.

In front of an Anfield league record crowd of 60,107, Liverpool took the lead in the 13th minute with a blistering break that climaxed with Diaz taking Diogo Jota's pass and firing high into the net.

Salah put the result beyond doubt in the 70th minute, cleverly adjusting his body position to dink his shot into the far corner from 12 yards, after Dominik Szoboszlai tenaciously won possession in midfield.

"I think Liverpool fans saw these performances under Jurgen Klopp many times. I want to see everybody sprinting back and doing everything they can to avoid conceding a goal, and that's what we did very well today," Slot said.

"If you keep on persisting in what you do, the execution becomes better. Brentford didn't have the legs anymore to defend us."

"Brentford made it very tough for us today, but I am not expecting them in the top six this season, so we have to improve to make sure we can do it against teams that can end up in the top six," he said.

Slot will get his first taste of one of the club's traditional grudge matches this weekend, when his team travels to bitter rival Manchester United.

Chelsea runs riot

At Molineux, Chelsea made the perfect start after just 98 seconds, when Matheus Cunha could only flick his attempted clearance from a corner toward Nicolas Jackson, who was left unmarked to head in from six yards.

Jackson's goal infuriated Wolves fans already angry with Chelsea after Madueke posted, and then later deleted, a critical review of their city just hours before kickoff.

After arriving in Wolverhampton, Madueke shared his location in the post, which read: "This place is s**t".

He was more diplomatic after the match, saying: "I just want to apologize to everyone that I might have offended. It is just a human mistake, an accident.

"It wasn't meant to be out on my socials like that. I'm sure Wolverhampton is a nice town and I'm sorry."

Cunha equalized in the 27th minute, and, after Cole Palmer restored Chelsea's advantage in the 45th, Jorgen Strand Larsen dragged Wolves level again.

But Palmer found Madueke in the 49th minute, and his shot deflected past Wolves keeper Jose Sa.

Madueke struck again nine minutes later, slotting a composed finish through Sa's legs.

The 22-year-old completed his hat-trick with a carbon copy of his two previous goals, once again finishing off another Palmer assist to silence the Wolves boo-boys.

Joao Felix came off the bench to cap the rout with a goal in the 80th minute following his permanent move from Atletico Madrid earlier in the week.

After a 2-0 loss to Manchester City last weekend in his first game since arriving from Leicester, this was Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca's first Premier League win with the Blues.

At the Vitality Stadium, Newcastle rescued a controversial 1-1 draw against Bournemouth.

Newcastle trailed when Joelinton carelessly lost possession and Antoine Semenyo's low cross was touched in by Marcus Tavernier in the 37th minute.

Eddie Howe's team equalized in the 76th minute, as Harvey Barnes floated in a cross that Anthony Gordon slotted home from close range.

Bournemouth was furious to be denied a stoppage-time winner when VAR ruled Dango Ouattara had handled before heading in.

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola said: "The ball touched his shoulder. The referee could not do anything else, someone called him and said he had to disallow it. Nobody will remember this in two weeks. I'm very frustrated.

"It's very difficult to digest. It's obvious what happened. We should have won the game."

AFP