The Egyptian striker has been a cult hero at Anfield from his first season in 2017. Given he had not been that impressive for Chelsea in a previous spell in the Premier League, it had not been expected that he would be as astonishingly prolific as he turned out to be.
But in his first season, he scored 32 goals in 36 Premier League games. They finished 4th but made it to the Champions League Final against Real Madrid – only for Salah to be injured by a forceful challenge from Sergio Ramos.
It was clear that if Liverpool were going to end their 30-year wait to win the title, Salah would be a key part of it – and so it has proved.
The second-top scorer this season with 17, Salah got the crucial second in the absolutely critical 3-1 win over Manchester City in November.
It had been defeat to City in the previous season that had cost Liverpool the title that time around. This time, Salah’s header was the moment that put the Reds in a position from which they were never going to lose.
Salah also scored the opener in a 2-0 win against West Ham United in January – a win which meant the team had, for the first time in their history, beaten every team in the top flight in a season.
Sadio Mane
Such was the impact Salah had in his first season at Anfield, it was easy to overlook the contribution that his Senegalese strike partner had had.
But in the two subsequent seasons, Mane has proved himself just as important as the iconic Egyptian.
It was Mane who got the third in that Manchester City victory – at that point, the 16th he had scored at Anfield in 2019 – five minutes in the the second half, seeing the ball fumbled by Claudio Bravo and gleefully wheeling away.
But it was a couple of games before that, against Aston Villa on 2 November, that Mane played perhaps his most pivotal role.
At 1-0 down with five minutes to go and facing the first defeat of the season, Mane crossed for Andy Robertson to head in and get an equaliser.
The momentum was with Liverpool and Mane now, and as heartbroken Villa tried to see the game out and get at least a point, Mane got his head on a 94th-minute cross – and Liverpool’s winning run continued.
Read more at: BBC Sport
