Mohamed Salah‘s goal against Chelsea saw him move up in the Premier League‘s all-time goalscoring charts, but it was the other side of his game that pleased Arne Slot just as much.
Liverpool have played 11 games across all competitions, and Salah already has 13 goal contributions – netting seven goals and assisting six.
He added to both columns against his former club, netting from the penalty spot before setting up Curtis Jones‘ winner with a sumptuous ball on the outside of his boot.
Salah’s goal moved up him to joint-ninth in the Premier League‘s all-time goalscoring charts alongside Jermain Defoe with 162 strikes, one behind Robbie Fowler in eighth.
Twenty-three more goals are between him and outright fifth in the list, but that would require his second-best topflight season – he’ll just have to stay a season longer, won’t he!
Mohamed Salah moves up to joint-ninth in the all-time Premier League goalscoring chart ?@LFC | @MoSalah pic.twitter.com/M3pV1YCifG
— Premier League (@premierleague) October 20, 2024
But while Salah’s contributions to the scoresheet were hugely significant at Anfield on Sunday, his work off the ball proved just as impressive – and it led to a “funny” warning from Slot.
“The good thing is that normally if someone asks a question about Mo Salah it’s always about his contract, so now it’s nice that you just asked me how important he is,” he told reporters.
“He is important for us for the numbers he has…it was a bit of a funny remark after the game I said to Trent, ‘You have some competition now because I saw today that Mo can play as a right full-back as well’.
“The defensive effort he put in today to help the team in that part, is what pleased me just as much as his goal and assist.”
As per FotMob, Salah coupled his scoreboard impact with six recoveries, five successful ground duels and one interception having worked tirelessly to help Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right flank.
Salah continues to prove how invaluable he is to Liverpool, and surely has to find himself exempt from the club’s ‘over 30’ rule – he’s not your average 32-year-old!
