SWISH OF THE LEFT FOOT PROPELS SALAH BEYOND MODERN GIANTS INTO HISTORY
HE made it look simple. Then again, he always makes them look simple. A shift of the hips, a dart into space then a shot drilled, unerringly, into the bottom corner.
Mohamed Salah has scored these kind of goals all season, making the difficult seem routine, but the one that arrived after 26 minutes against Brighton was anything but ordinary. This one — No 32 in the Premier League — made history.
For Jurgen Klopp, it was a strike to set Liverpool on their way to Champions League qualification again. But for Salah, this swish of his left foot propelled him beyond the modern giants — Alan Shearer, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez — and into territory of his own.
What a remarkable year this has been for the Kop’s Egyptian King. There were no expectations when he arrived back in England last July but he has turned himself into a phenomenon with 32 goals in a top-flight campaign. The only Liverpool player to beat that figure is Gordon Hodgson — in 1931.
No wonder the applause rang around Anfield like thunder when Klopp decided he had done enough in the 83rd minute. By that point, as Salah left the pitch waving to all corners, he had secured the Golden Boot and Liverpool had secured their ultimate objective.
‘It’s fantastic what he has done,’ said Klopp. ‘The last few weeks especially were difficult. You can imagine what it’s like if every single day somebody says how brilliant you are. They not only say you are brilliant but they give you an Oscar, an award for this, an award for that.
‘I thought he was going to get an award for getting out of the car. It’s really difficult to stay focused and he
IS focused. But he has played this season outstandingly. He is young enough and has enough potential to improve. That’s really good news.’
It would be unrealistic to think he can repeat such totals but what is beyond doubt is Salah’s ability in front of goal — and Liverpool’s ability to score many goals. Real Madrid will watch the DVDs of this game and be mindful that their opponents enjoyed the perfect warm-up for Kiev.
Conquering Europe would be an unexpected, glorious bonus but the main target was to get back in the competition next season. There was real pressure on Klopp, whose team have stuttered in recent weeks, to deliver and his irritable demeanour confirmed as much.
He barked at the match officials when they got decisions wrong — never more so than in the 18th minute when Kevin Friend waved away a penalty claim after Shane Duffy had upended Salah — and screeched at his players when they failed to follow his orders.
In reality, though, Liverpool’s place in the top four — which they have held since December 13 — was never in danger. The game was up for Chelsea when Dwight Gayle scored after 23 minutes of their match at Newcastle and 180 seconds later Klopp’s men were over the hill and far away.
The move started when Trent Alexander-Arnold galloped forward and fed Dominic Solanke, who quickly fed Salah. Once he wriggled away from Duffy, the inevitable happened. Shot. Goal.
And in a flash, the tension was gone. Liverpool began to open up and could have had four before half time. As it was, they only added Dejan Lovren’s thumping header from Andrew Robertson’s cross.
Goal number three, which arrived 11 minutes after the restart, was arguably the best of them all, as a flashing counterattack that involved Roberto Firmino and Salah ended with Solanke hammering a shot in off the bar.
‘The game started difficult for him,’ said Klopp. ‘He slipped, lost the ball, things like that, missed a big chance. But then he was involved in nearly all the dangerous situations. I’m happy for him, he had a big smile on his face after the game. Well deserved.’
Similar sentiments were applied to Robertson, who completed the drubbing in the 86th minute with a leftfooted drive that nearly carried Brighton’s Lewis Dunk into the net, too. It made this Liverpool’s 14th four-goal haul of the campaign. Only the 1895-96 team, with 16, can better that tally.
‘We were up against a team that started with a forward line like that, so we knew we’d be in for a difficult afternoon,’ said Brighton manager Chris Hughton. ‘That’s the level they’re at. They’re a team that we’re all hoping can win the Champions League.’
LIVERPOOL (4-2-3-1): Karius 6; Alexander-Arnold 7.5, Van Dijk 7, Lovren 7, Robertson 7; Henderson 7.5, Wijnaldum 7; SALAH 8 (Woodburn 84mins), Firmino 7.5 (Ings 83), Mane 6.5 (Lallana 71, 6); Solanke 7 Subs not used: Mignolet, Clyne, Klavan, Moreno. Scorers: Salah 26, Lovren 40, Solanke 53, Robertson 85. Manager: Jurgen Klopp 7. BRIGHTON (4-1-4-1): Ryan 7.5; Schelotto 5, Dunk 6, Duffy 5 (Goldson 71, 6), Bong 5.5; Propper 6; Knockaert 5, Stephens 6, Kayal 5 (Gross 57, 6), March 6; Locadia 5 (Murray 5, 5). Subs not used: Krul, Bruno, Ulloa, Suttner. Manager: Chris Hughton 6. Referee: Kevin Friend 5. Attendance: 50,752.