Klopp hails impact of Salah after victory
Mohamed Salah’s Premier League numbers are up there among the best of the era but Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists he offers his side much more than the bare statistics.
The Egypt international’s hat-trick in the 4-3 win over Leeds took his tally to 76 in 109 matches since moving to Anfield.
He has scored 50 goals in 63 home games, second only to Alan Shearer (47 appearances) and Liverpool have now won each of the last 35 league fixtures in which he has found the net – overtaking Wayne Rooney’s competition record set between September 2008 and February 2011.
Since his blistering maiden campaign, when he scored 32 times in 36 appearances, the 28-year-old’s yearly total has been falling but what makes him so important to Klopp’s side is his all-round game.
“First and foremost, congratulations to him. He is a very special player,” said the Liverpool manager of Salah.
“The numbers tell the story a little bit. All the rest around you p robab l y d o n’ t k n ow about. But this is a very good example of it. He put three more goals on his scoring list, but the performanceall-roundwasabsolutely exceptional in a game like this.
“He deserved the goals 100 per cent. Two were penalties, one was a sensational finish, buthedeservedthemashewas constantly pressing, pressing, constantly causing the opponent massive problems, onev-one situations, played his football.
“There have been a lot of goodperformancesforusfrom Mo for sure, but this was one of the better ones. He should be proud of it because it’s very special to get these kind of numbers. Long may it continue.”