Amazing Salah scales new heights with four-goal salvo
PARIS: An extraordinary season for Liverpool star Mohamed Salah reached a new high at the weekend when he scored four goals against Watford to once again be the star African performer in Europe.
The 25-year-old striker raised his season goal tally to 36 in all competitions after becoming the first Egyptian to score a Premier League hattrick as the Reds triumphed 5-0 at Anfield. It is a far cry from his time with Swiss club Basel, where his repeated missed scoring opportunities led the media to label him “chance waster”.
ENGLAND MOHAMED SALAH (Liverpool) The winger’s remarkable debut season after joining Liverpool from Roma continued with goals in the fourth, 43rd, 77th and 85th minutes. Liverpool are up to third thanks to Salah’s masterclass and he said: “I have to thank everyone, but mainly my team-mates. Without them I couldn’t have reached this number.”
ERIC MAXIM CHOUPO-MOTING (Stoke) The Cameroon midfielder came off the bench to score against Everton, but couldn’t stop his struggling team suffering a damaging 2-1 defeat. Choupo-Moting was sent on in the 72nd minute with Stoke trailing 1-0. He made an immediate impact, scoring in the 77th minute with a closerange finish from a cross. But the 28-year-old’s fifth goal of the season was followed by a late Everton winner that leaves Stoke second last in the Premier League.
WILFRIED ZAHA (Crystal Palace) The Ivory Coast winger avoided another injury in Palace’s crucial 2-0 win at relegation rivals Huddersfield. Zaha had been out since early February with a knee injury, but returned to help give Palace’s survival hopes a major boost as they won for the first time in over two months. Zaha had missed Palace’s previous four games, which all ended in defeats.
SPAIN RYAD BOUDEBOUZ (Real Betis) The Algerian international scored his first goal since November as Real Betis stepped up their pursuit of European football with a 3-0 home win over Espanyol. Boudebouz set up Junior Firpo for his first La Liga goal on 34 minutes and then struck himself early in the second half, picking up the ball on the edge of box and throwing a couple of body feints before driving a low angled shot into the far corner. ITALY SEKO FOFANA (Udinese) Ivorian midfielder Fofana equalised for Udinese just before the break only for his side to fall to a fifth consecutive defeat — 2-1 home at home against Sassuolo. It was Fofana’s second goal this season for the side from northeastern Italy.