MAGIC MO ON THE MONEY

Salah proving a £37m bargain

TO think Liverpool were questioned when they forked out a club record £36.9million for Mohamed Salah.

The critics argued Liverpool had paid Roma well over the odds for a Chelsea reject in summer.

But as Kevin De Bruyne, Nemanja Matic and Romelu Lukaku had already proved, being shown the door by Chelsea can ignite a career.

And Salah is on fire after a classy opener took his tally to 10 goals in 16 games this season.

Chuck in three assists and the Egyptian has easily doubled his value in the transfer market.

The crazy thing is Salah would have even more if he were not so wasteful in front of goal and he headed over from a great chance after scoring.

Still, thanks to him, Liverpool will qualify for the Champions League group stages for the first time in nine years if they win in Sevilla in three weeks’ time.

Emre Can scored a fine second after he too fluffed a great headed chance. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain deserved to share the plaudits on only his second start for Liverpool.

Jurgen Klopp had bigged up Oxlade-Chamberlain in his programme notes, claiming he is “like dynamite”.

Unfortunately for the former Arsenal star, Jean-Claude Billong twice extinguished his fuse, making vital interceptions just as he prepared to shoot.

This set the tone as the game settled into attack against defence and Liverpool tried to find a way through Maribor’s massed purpleand-white ranks.

The Reds’ frustration increased when Georginio Wijnaldum rolled his right ankle to be replaced by Jordan Henderson.

Liverpool kept knocking on the door and Roberto Firmino’s deflected header from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross was superbly touched on to the bar by Jasmin Handanovic.

While Liverpool could point to excellent goalkeeping for not converting that chance, Can had no excuse when he failed to score an inviting headed chance from Alexander-Arnold’s cross.

Just like on Saturday against Huddersfield, Liverpool made the breakthrough just after half-time.

Joel Matip won the ball then fed Alexander-Arnold, whose cross was deftly touched home by Salah on 49 minutes.

It should have been 2-0 four minutes later when Firmino was pulled down by Aleksander Rajcevic but, like Saturday, Liverpool missed as James Milner’s spot-kick was touched on to the post by Handanovic.

They have now fluffed their last four penalties at Anfield.

The second arrived on 64 minutes when Can played a onetwo with Milner then atoned for his earlier miss.

Substitute Daniel Sturridge swept home Alberto Moreno’s cross in the final minute to complete a satisfying night for Liverpool.