It hasn’t been an easy last 12 months for Sadio Mane, but he reminded Liverpool fans of his class and influence on Sunday.
The Senegal international managed 16 goals in all competitions for Liverpool during the 2020-21 campaign.
And that, for his sky-high standards, represented a pretty poor return, particularly considering there seemed to be a decline in his general level of performance, too.
But Mane opened the scoring for Jurgen Klopp’s side in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City at Anfield.
Early in the second half, he latched on to a fine ball from Mohamed Salah – who scored a ridiculous solo goal later in the clash – and drilled home past Ederson.
With a brilliant angled run and finish to match, suddenly it looked like the Sadio Mane of around 18 months ago.
Here’s how some Liverpool fans reacted to his display on Twitter:
An in-form Mane is an enormous asset for Klopp and the German manager will hope to see much more of him in a positive sense going forward.
But this was his fifth goal in nine games across all competitions this season, which underlines the thought that the former Southampton livewire – a £30 million signing by Klopp in 2016 – is getting back to his frightening best.
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