Salah returns to haunt Roma

London – Roma know the threat posed by Mohamed Salah (above) more than most having sold the free-scoring Egyptian to Liverpool for an initial £37 million just 10 months ago.

But that may not help the Italians much as they become the latest side to face the gauntlet of Anfield on a European night in tomorrow’s Champions League semifinal, first leg as Salah has blossomed into a goalscoring machine.

Salah’s then club record price tag was questioned at the time of the deal coming just two years after he failed to make an impression in the Premier League with Chelsea.

Now, though, it looks like an incredible bargain as Salah has netted 41 goals in 46 games to take Liverpool back to the last four of Europe’s premier club competition for the first time in a decade.

In a nomadic career since moving to Europe as a 19-year-old, Salah was known for his pace and dribbling ability in spells at Basel and Fiorentina either side of a short time at Chelsea before moving to Roma.

“At Roma he was amazing. Every game he created a lot of chances, but sometimes missed,” said Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who suffered from Salah’s new-found confidence in front of goal as he scored in each leg of Liverpool’s 5-1 aggregate thrashing of the Premier League champions in the quarterfinals.

Despite Liverpool’s heroics against City in the last eight, they were upstaged by Roma for performance of the round.

The Serie A side overturned a 4-1 first-leg deficit to beat Barcelona on away goals by shutting out Lionel Messi and a former Liverpool favourite Luis Suarez in a famous 3-0 second leg win.

However, a record of losing their last three Champions League games on the road – conceding eight goals in the process – doesn’t bode well ahead of a visit to fortress Anfield.

Salah matched Suarez’s Premier League record of 31 goals in a single campaign on Saturday and stopping their former team-mate over two legs may prove a step too far for Roma in their first appearance in the last four since they lost 4-2 on penalties to Liverpool in the 1984 final. –

At Roma he was amazing. Every game he created a lot of chances.

Pep Guardiola Manchester City manager