Just before the end of the first half, Arnold delivered a long pass from the right wing into the Leeds United penalty area.
Firmino disrupted Leeds United's center-back, and when Ruben Diaz attempted to clear the ball with a header, he failed to send it far. Instead, the ball dropped to the right side of the penalty area.
Salah controlled it with his chest, stopped it with his left foot, and unleashed a stunning long-range shot.
The ball flew swiftly into Leeds United's goal, pulling one back for Liverpool.
1-2.
Salah's goal gave Liverpool a glimmer of hope.
After the halftime break, Liverpool launched a fierce offensive against Leeds United.
In the first round of the new season, still at Anfield, Liverpool were determined to start strong by defeating Leeds United.
However, the more eager they were, the more problems they revealed.
In the 53rd minute, Valverde moved to the right wing and linked up with Sancho. The English winger dribbled laterally, cutting inside as he looked for a teammate to combine with.
Enzo Fernandez quickly ran over to support.
Upon receiving the ball, Enzo spotted Sancho making a quick forward run and immediately sent a through ball.
The ball split Liverpool's two defensive lines and dropped directly on the right side of the penalty area, right in Sancho's path. The Englishman caught up with it and, without stopping, whipped in a low cross with his right foot.
Haaland rushed forward in the middle and tapped the ball into the net.
3-1.
A brace for Haaland.
He looked extremely excited.
Once again, Liverpool were trailing by two goals, and Klopp immediately gestured from the sidelines, urging his players to ramp up the pressure.
The pressure on Leeds United, particularly in the attacking third, increased significantly.
However, in the 65th minute, Leeds United intercepted the ball in their own half and quickly launched a counterattack.
Jonahene passed the ball to Enzo ahead of him. After controlling it near the halfway line, the Argentine immediately switched play to the right wing and found Sancho.
Achraf made a quick forward run and combined with Sancho. The pair surged down the right flank, drawing the attention of Liverpool's defenders.
Once they entered Liverpool's final third, Achraf stayed on the right wing while Sancho cut diagonally infield. He received the ball and delivered a diagonal pass, exploiting a gap in Liverpool's defense and playing the ball into the right side of the penalty area.
Valverde made a high-speed run into the area, received Sancho's diagonal pass, controlled it, and fired a powerful shot with his right foot.
The ball smashed past Liverpool's defense once more.
4-1.
In the 89th minute, a corner kick led to a chaotic scramble in the box.
Liverpool's defensive midfielders Fabinho and Militao were both chasing the ball, but Fabinho reached it first. Militao couldn't pull his foot back in time and ended up tripping him.
Although Fabinho wasn't injured, the referee still awarded a penalty.
Salah converted it, scoring his second of the match.
But in the end, Liverpool lost 2-4 at home to Leeds United.
When referee Michael Oliver blew the final whistle, Gao Shen, Wenger, Sacchi, and others stood up and applauded the Leeds United players on the pitch.
The White Roses supporters who had traveled to Anfield gave the team a warm round of applause.
Leeds United defeated Liverpool 4-2 away from home in the first round of the league, starting the season with a big win.
This result was certainly encouraging.
More importantly, it was the outstanding performance of Leeds United's young players, particularly Haaland, who bagged a brace.
Rashford, Haaland, and Sancho now form Leeds United's most valued attacking trident this season.
Vinicius, Rodrygo, Ansu Fati, and others will also feature heavily and receive ample playing time. However, the team's core attacking force will remain those three.
Judging by their performance in the first match, Leeds United's attacking trident is proving to be incredibly powerful.
"Enzo Fernandez is different from Bruno Fernandes. His strengths lie more in passing, organizing, and ball control. He's also better defensively. His awareness of receiving and linking up with teammates is stronger, but his timing and sense for making late runs into the box isn't quite on Bruno's level."
Wenger analyzed the differences between the two players.
"But it's precisely because of this that Valverde has been unlocked. When he played alongside Bruno before, he always held back his attacking instinct. I think he should try pushing forward more often."
The professor nodded in agreement. Wenger's analysis made a lot of sense.
Just like people, players are all different and unique.
Some are more team-oriented and responsible, while others are more self-centered.
This comes down to a player's individual personality, and it's not something you can change by force.
So, in team play, someone like Valverde, who is relatively team-oriented, would take on more defensive responsibilities when playing alongside Bruno and be more cautious and conservative.
Because he knew Bruno liked to charge into the box. If Valverde did the same, that would leave Declan Rice alone in midfield and vulnerable to being overrun.
But Enzo Fernandez is different.
The Argentine is not keen on making late runs forward. He focuses more on passing, orchestrating the midfield, and controlling the rhythm of play. Defensively, he's more committed and aggressive than Bruno.
This allows Valverde to push forward with more confidence and make more late runs into the box.
This is what Wenger meant by unlocking Valverde's attacking firepower.
This is what makes football so fascinating.
The same player can often display different attributes and strengths depending on the tactical setup.
"Judging by today's performance, I'm really curious. Who in this season's Premier League can stop your attack?" Sacchi said with a hearty laugh.
It was clear he was a big fan of this Leeds United team.
As Leeds United secured a vital 4-2 away win over Liverpool in a high-profile match, the rest of the first round of Premier League fixtures concluded as well.
Arsenal beat Fulham 3-0 away, Newcastle defeated West Ham 2-0 away, Tottenham won 1-0 at home against Everton, and Chelsea triumphed 3-1 away over Brighton.
Manchester City beat Aston Villa 2-0 at home.
To be honest, Aston Villa are really unfortunate. After spending nearly 300 million euros over two summers, they still haven't managed to build a competitive squad. It's unclear where all that money has gone.
The final match of the round saw Manchester United travel away to face Burnley.
Solskjaer fielded his strongest lineup, including all four of the high-profile signings made over the summer. Each of them started and played the full 90 minutes.
Van de Beek, Rodrygo, Ndombele, and Telz all featured.
However, the Red Devils failed to deliver against a relegation-threatened opponent. Despite dominating possession, they couldn't break down Burnley's defense and were held to a 0-0 draw.
To be fair, the result wasn't terrible.
It was only the first round of the season, and the team clearly lacked match sharpness. Plus, it was an away fixture. Although Burnley are seen as a relegation side, they actually finished 10th last season, just two spots behind United.
From that perspective, United's draw wasn't completely unacceptable.
Still, considering the amount of money spent, not being able to win was disappointing. Especially with all five other teams from the so-called Big Eight, except Leeds United and Liverpool, picking up wins. United's draw stood out awkwardly.
But it's only the beginning.
A week later, in the second round of the Premier League.
Leeds United returned to Amazon Stadium to host Fulham.
Having lost 0-3 at home to Arsenal in the first round, Fulham suffered another humiliating defeat at Amazon Stadium.
Just five minutes into the match, Leeds United broke the deadlock through Haaland.
Then, just before halftime, Sancho struck again to extend the lead.
After the break, Leeds scored two more goals in the 50th and 57th minutes through Rashford and Haaland, with the Norwegian netting another brace.
That made it four goals in two games for Haaland this season.
Leeds United ran out 4-0 winners at home against Fulham.
Arsenal beat West Ham 2-1 at home, thanks to a goal from Lacazette.
Tottenham had an outstanding away performance. Facing Southampton at St. Mary's Stadium, Mourinho's team came from behind after conceding first, scoring five unanswered goals to win 5-1.
South Korean star Son Heung-min bagged four goals, while Abraham not only delivered a hat-trick of assists but also scored the final goal himself.
Mourinho's team now has two straight wins to start the new season, and their performance in this match was exceptional.
Particularly in attack, the midfield trio of Hoymbele, Bruno Fernandes, and Winks completely overran Southampton, securing a dominant victory for Spurs.
Liverpool, who lost at home in the previous round, bounced back with a 2-0 away win over Chelsea, thanks to a Salah brace.
The Blues failed to claim victory in this high-profile clash.
Manchester City beat Wolves 3-1 away, while Newcastle narrowly defeated Brighton 1-0 at home.
Both sides are now on two consecutive wins.
Just as everyone was beginning to marvel at the strength of the Premier League's "Big Eight", Manchester United were dealt a shock 1-3 defeat at home by Crystal Palace.
Solskjaer once again fielded his strongest eleven. All the expensive new signings started and completed the match. Van de Beek even scored.
But in the end, United suffered a crushing defeat on home soil.
After this round, Manchester United have yet to secure a win and sit 14th in the Premier League. It's been a poor start.
More worrying is that throughout the match, United's tactics and overall play were unconvincing, lacking both a clear tactical system and technical coherence.
This is deeply concerning.
As the league progresses, if they fail to establish a stable and effective tactical structure, how will they cope with the challenges ahead?
The one left most embarrassed was Lord Ratcliffe, who had invited many friends and family to the private box.
(To be continued.)