Mohamed Salah lined up for his ninth Liverpool game of the season as part of the Premier League leaders’ prolific front three against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
The Egyptian won the league’s golden boot in 2017-18 and was joint winner last season with 22 goals.
Salah already had four goals in this season’s Premier League when he lined up to face his former side Chelsea, who he spent one season with in 2014, making just 19 appearances and scoring two goals.
Here, PA news agency takes a look at how Salah fared as Liverpool beat Chelsea 2-1 to maintain their perfect start to the season.
Creativity
For Liverpool’s opening goal, the Egyptian cleverly back-heeled a free kick for Trent Alexander-Arnold to drive into the top corner. Salah also showed his attacking strength in the 39th minute, when he drove into the box from the right, weaving past Fikayo Tomori before his final effort was blocked by Andreas Christensen.
Relationship with Mane
The pair shared the golden boot last season but rumours of problems sparked after Liverpool’s 3-0 win at Burnley and the duo failed to link up effectively again at Stamford Bridge. The two failed to link up on a couple of occasions, with Salah making passes that could not reach Mane, as the pair seemed to have lost some of last season’s understanding. Mane was substituted in the 72nd minute.
Overall
Although he did not put his name on the scoresheet, Salah was instrumental in Liverpool’s attacking threat, driving forward from midfield and bringing the ball into the Chelsea box. The 27-year-old was not on his best form, a couple of chances he might have put away in previous seasons were blocked or defended.
