After a great 2017 Mohamed Salah has made 2018 the year of Mo. The striker proved it again in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal. With Liverpool away to Manchester City, all the Reds had to do was keep a three goal advantage.
With Mo Salah in town, was there ever a doubt that Liverpool would be moving on to their first Champions League semi-final since 2008? Down 1-0 in the game and up 3-1 on aggregate Salah essentially put the game and Manchester City away.
50 – Mohamed Salah has been directly involved in 50 goals in all competitions this season (39 goals, 11 assists), 11 more than any other Premier League player. Relentless. pic.twitter.com/gdrkWBHKnA
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 10, 2018
Ten minutes into the second half Salah drove down the middle when he found Sadio Mane, whose shot attempt was stopped. He pounced on the rebound, patiently waited for the goalie to futilely go to ground and scored the goal from an odd angle.
It was Salah’s third goal in as many games in 2018 against Manchester City, each game a winner for Liverpool. His skill and patience in such a small space not only made City look silly but elevates him to those levels occupied by the Messi’s and Ronaldo’s of the world.
With the all important away goal in hand, Liverpool really put the game away when Roberto Firmino scored the second goal of the game at the 77th minute. With the 2-1 win, Liverpool and Mo Salah their scoring machine were moving on.
8 – Roberto Firmino has also netted eight goals in a single Champions League campaign for Liverpool – equalling Mohamed Salah’s record. Competitive. https://t.co/v7XRd0wggi
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 10, 2018
With what Salah has done for Liverpool this year he is in the running to garner some individual awards at the end season. The 25-year-old is currently the EPL leader in goals scored with 29, the goal he scored against City gave him 39 in 43 games across all competitions. Those 39 goals are easily the best debut season for a Liverpool scorer, and Salah’s 29 league goals are just five off from Andy Cole’s record 34 goals in a EPL debut season.
Salah’s 29 league goals also means he’s in the running for Europe’s Golden Boot, the award that goes to the player who scores the most goals while playing in the first division of Europe’s leagues. He currently is tied with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.
With his scoring prowess pushing Liverpool to a potential Champions League Final and securing a place in Europe next year due to a top four finish in the EPL, it might be time to think about Salah not only as the player of the year in the EPL but perhaps all of Europe.
Having lead Egypt to it’s first successful World Cup campaign since 1990, and his success with Liverpool it’s time for Salah to get his due and be considered for the Balon D’Or. Awarded by FIFA as the player considered best in the world, Mohamed Salah has done enough this year to be a finalist for the award, Tuesday night’s win is another example that proves this statement.
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