SOUTHAMPTON, England (REUTERS) - When Liverpool cleared a corner and the ball arrived at Mohamed Salah's feet 20 yards inside his own half at Southampton on Friday (April 5) there was just one thing on the Egyptian's mind.
A handful of seconds later, after a searing 50-metre run, his left-foot shot flew past Angus Gunn to give Liverpool the lead on a nailbiting night on the south coast.
Jordan Henderson scored another one to make it 3-1 and confirm Liverpool's place back on top of the Premier League, but the defining moment was Salah's drought-busting effort.
He had not scored for eight matches, his worst run at Liverpool, but his 80th-minute intervention could not have been better-timed. It was his 50th Premier League goal for Liverpool and, more importantly, proved that any concern over his form in the title run-in could be put to bed.
With five league games left Salah is undeniably back.
"What a goal! Wow, what a goal!" Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp, who hugged his striker on the pitch as Liverpool's fans roared out their song about the "Egyptian King".
Salah is the eighth Liverpool player to score 50 Premier League goals, but his half century arrived in only 69 games, three fewer than Fernando Torres, the previous quickest to the mark.
Â
Only two other players in the Premier League era have reached the landmark quicker - Manchester United's Ruud van Nistelrooy and Alan Shearer for Blackburn Rovers.
Klopp told reporters he had never doubted Salah would rediscover his scoring touch.
"It was never in doubt about him being a great player from my side," Klopp said. "It was goal number 50 I heard for Liverpool, that's an incredible number," the German said.
"As a striker, you have chances and each striker is a human being - maybe you have better moments and less good moments. But he is pretty consistent, his physical things are always there. He always stayed calm to deal with the situation."
Liverpool were not at their best, especially in a sluggish first half when they gave the ball away cheaply too often and Southampton threatened to add to their ninth-minute opener scored by Shane Long.
But once Naby Keita levelled with a deflected header in the 36th minute, his first goal for Liverpool, the visitors were relentless in their pursuit of a crucial win.
Klopp's side have now won seven of their last eight Premier League games when conceding the opening goal - a resilience that will be causing concern at relentless Manchester City who now trail by two points having played a game less.
"The season is intense for everyone," Klopp said.
"The performance was not top level but it is about fighting.
"People want us to play like Manchester City, we are unable to do that, we play our own football. We have 82 points now, that is massive in this crazy league and everyone is waiting for us. I am really proud. It is incredible.
"It is a difficult year for everybody, you need to have 70-75 points for the (top-four) Champions League and 90-something for the title.
"We are in the race and that is nice."
Football: Singapore Premier League club Warriors barred from foreign hires by Ministry of Manpower for 2nd time - The Straits Times SINGAPORE - For the second time in eight months, Singapore Premier League (SPL) club Warriors FC have had their work pass privileges suspended by the
Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend
soccerfinale.com/2019/04/25/premier-league-10-things-to-look-out-for-this-weekend-football/
1) City must roll up their sleeves again at Burnley Pep Guardiola is not usually short of post-match praise for his players, but he struck a different note after the Manchester derby win.
Austrian president dismisses all FPO ministers except one
Objectives Raheem Sterling has scored in his final three video games for England. He had not managed a single aim in his earlier 27 appearances. "Raheem was brilliant, electric all night," Southgate mentioned. "He is in a very assured second, not solely on the sphere however off the sphere he is so mature and cozy in himself.
'Electric' Sterling has boss purring - theworldnews.net
Palace rout Leicester to step up pressure on Puel Soccer Football - Premier League - Leicester City v Crystal Palace - King Power Stadium, Leicester, Britain - February 23, 2019 Leicester Citys Jonny Evans scores their first goal REUTERS/Jon Super Feb 23 - - Crystal Palace piled further pressure
Palace rout Leicester to step up pressure on Puel - msn.com
Salah's out but Reds not giving up, Football News & Top
Spurs need to 'believe' "We need to assess Dele in the next few days, but the hamstring is a muscle that you need to be careful with - in terms of the mechanism of the injury," he said.
Heel Spurs: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment
Jun 07, 2019 · The term is code for government support for home-grown corporate powerhouses as a way to give them an edge over outside competitors and create jobs, drive exports and fuel economic growth.
Continuity drives Spurs success | Sporting News
Headline Kick It Out calls for action after Ashley Young is targeted with racial abuse. READ MORE Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admits work to be done for Manchester United to reach the top
#Enough: PFA calls for action after more racist abuse
LONDON, March 16 (Reuters) - Premier League leaders Manchester City recovered from two goals down to beat Championship side Swansea City 3-2 at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday to progress to the
Football: Man City come from two goals down to reach FA Cup
If You Only Own One Kitchen Thing It Should Be This. How big are your oven, stovetop, and sink? With a purchase like a dutch oven, you could and should have this thing forever.
Watford squeeze past QPR into FA Cup last eight. 1 Min Read. Soccer Football - FA Cup Fifth Round - Queens Park Rangers v Watford - Loftus Road, London, Britain - February 15, 2019 Watford's Troy
Watford squeeze past QPR into FA Cup last eight - Football
- Mourinho has been out of job since he was fired at Manchester United in December 2018. Ex Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has reportedly rejected offers to become the new manager of Italian side Roma.
Players rejected by Jose Mourinho who have gone on to shine
London: Mauricio Pochettino says Harry Kane is making a "fantastic" recovery and could be back in action ahead of schedule following the ankle injury he suffered last month against Manchester United. Kane was initially ruled out until March, but Spurs boss Pochettino said the England captain could feature in his side's Premier League match at
Kane making 'fantastic' recovery, says Spurs boss Pochettino
0 comments:
Post a Comment