Norwich City 0-3 Liverpool: 5 talking points as Reds blow away Canaries | Premier League 2021-22

#3 Norwich City to uphold their 'yo-yo club' tag?

The Canaries have the potential to stay up this season.

No club in recent history has drifted between the Premier League and the Championship quite like Norwich City. They are back again in the top flight after a year in the second division.

Much like on their 2019 return, the Canaries played Liverpool in their first match. But this time, it was at their home ground, and not Anfield, where they were dealt a 4-1 battering.

However, that mattered not, as Norwich suffered a heavy defeat although their performance showed a stark improvement this time. Daniel Farke's team played with the confidence and courage they sorely lacked, two years ago.

Only three teams in Premier League history have lost 11 consecutive games:✅ Sunderland (20)✅ Aston Villa (11)✅ Norwich City (11)Welcome back, Canaries. 😬 pic.twitter.com/16CUfdsJKf

— William Hill (@WilliamHill) August 14, 2021

Liverpool's new recruit Kostas Tsimikas, who has come in for the injured Andrew Robertson, left plenty of gaps on the left flank. He also looked off the pace, something which the hosts looked to exploit.

Despite the scoreline, it wasn't all doom and gloom for Norwich, who could ensure survival this year if they're able to maintain this form against the 'smaller' teams.

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#4 Diego Jota produces the goods for Liverpool

Diego Jota scored the opening goal for Liverpool.

In the opening half of the match, Diogo Jota had the fewest touches on the ball of any player on the field. Yet, he was the only one on target in that period.

That tells you everything about how lethal he can be when space opens up. The Portuguese striker latched onto a loose ball off Salah and exploited a gap in the Norwich defence before rifling home a low drive to put the Reds in front.

While it's a good start to his campaign, Jota ought to get more involved in the proceedings, because such opportunities may be a rarity against the big sides.

⚽️ Fewest games to score their first 10 PL goals for Liverpool:13 Daniel Sturridge, Mohamed Salah18 Robbie Fowler, Fernando Torres20 Diogo Jota pic.twitter.com/b5gEnlp5jI

— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) August 14, 2021

Jota's arrival from Wolves last year helped ease some of the burden off Liverpool's famous triumvirate, but he sustained a serious injury that curtailed his campaign.

But now that Jota is back in form, he should provide tough competition for places in the starting XI. Considering that he's still only 24 and much younger than Salah, Mane and Firmino, he has a distinct advantage.

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#5 Liverpool could be title challengers again

Liverpool could contend for the title.

Any talk of who's likely to win the Premier League this season would invariably revolve around Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United.

City, the defending champions, have won three of the last four editions of the league; Chelsea are the reigning European champions. Meanwhile, Manchester United have made some good recruitments this summer and recorded the biggest win of the opening day so far.

There's no mention of Liverpool whatsoever. Why? Because they didn't make any major signings? Because of their limp title defence last season? No matter which way you look at it, their resounding victory over Norwich showed the Reds look very likely to repeat their 2019-20 league triumph this season.

Their attacking line-up was on fire; Roberto Firmino looked rejuvenated; Van Dijk made a strong return to action, and Trent Alexander-Arnold also sizzled. Write the Reds off at your own peril.