After a four-goal haul at Anfield against Watford this evening, Mo Salah has surely all but assured the Golden Boot will be on its way to Merseyside come May 13th. With Harry Kane’s injury at Bournemouth last weekend, the Englishman will likely miss a couple of Premier League games after the International break and will have a monumental task on his hand to catch Liverpool’s star now.
On his debut season at Anfield, the Egyptian has made his £37.5 million transfer fee look a minimal fee and in today’s market, an absolute bargain. With four goals tonight, Salah has made it 36 goals in 41 appearances and with his spectacular performance, he has broken a record that will surely not be broken for a long time at Liverpool. With his 36 goals he now has the most goals during a debut season and has smashed past Fernando Torres tonight, who ended with 33, and finds himself already five ahead of Kenny Dalglish who managed 31 in his debut season.
This is not the only record which was broken by Salah tonight, he became the first Egyptian to score a Premier League hat trick and is the first Liverpool player to score four goals in a singular Premier League game since Luis Suarez vs Norwich in December 2013, stat courtesy of @OptaJoe. He is only the fourth player to achieve such feat at Liverpool, with Michael Owen and Robbie Fowler the other two.
Although, everyone would love for Harry Kane to win a third successive Golden Boot it is beginning to look like the honour will become Salah’s and to say it is deserved is an understatement.
Liverpool’s number 11 is understandably really enjoying his football back in England and stated that he feels like his style of play suits English football. A huge part to play in this is certainly his manager at Liverpool who has given him the freedom to play closer to goal and has him playing in a formation which works so well for not just him, but the whole Liverpool team. The Egyptian said, ‘If you look at me now and five years ago, everything has changed – mentally, physically … everything.’
Currently, the forward is a pleasure to watch and if he does not take home the golden boot honour, it will be surprise to many. Although it would be silly to right Harry Kane off, surely he will struggle to catch Salah now.
