LONDON – Egyptian star Mohamed Salah scores two penalties and Darwin Nunez nets once in the second half as Liverpool come from behind to win 3-1 against Southampton at Anfield.
Salah continues to write English Premier League history by matching the illustrious Argentine striker Sergio Aguero as the top foreign scorer in the history of the Premier League.
With a spectacular brace against Southampton, the Egyptian prodigy brought his total to 184 goals, a record he seems destined to surpass very soon.
Salah continued his sizzling form to help Liverpool recover from an early jolt and secure win against Southampton that lifted the Premier League leaders 16 points clear at the top.
Just four goals shy of Andy Cole (188 goals), the Pharaoh now aims for further ascent in the ranking of historical scorers. However, joining the legendary trio of Wayne Rooney (208), Harry Kane (213), and Alan Shearer (260) seems a tall order.
“It was a bit of frustration (at half-time). His head was going for us. We were sloppy and slow in the first half. I don’t think we played good. If you want to win the Champions League or Premier League you have to win these games like that,” Salah told Premier League Productions.
“I knew about the record, but I didn’t think about it while playing,” Salah said after the game. “Sergio was a legend for this league, so to equal him is an honor. But the win mattered most—we keep fighting for every trophy.”
Arne Slot’s side were rocked by Will Smallbone’s first half opener for bottom of the table Southampton at Anfield.
But Liverpool recovered after half-time and Darwin Nunez equalised before earning the penalty that Salah converted to put them ahead.
The 32-year-old forward netted another penalty to reach 32 goals in all competitions this season as the Reds edged closer to a record-equalling 20th English title and their first since 2020.
Across all competitions, he has amassed 32 goals and 22 assists in 41 appearances, missing only four matches despite international duties.
Salah’s relentless consistency has also seen him climb Liverpool’s all-time scoring charts.
With 243 goals in 390 appearances, he has surpassed Gordon Hodgson to become the club’s third-highest scorer, trailing only Ian Rush (346) and Roger Hunt (285).
Slot’s men have 70 points after 29 games, while second-placed Arsenal has 54 but two games in hand.
Salah moved to third in Liverpool’s all-time top scorer list with 242 goals, behind Ian Rush and Roger Hunt.
More records came Salah’s way in what is turning out to be a stupendous season. The Egyptian star now has the joint most goals scored by an international player (184) in the Premier League and also the most goal contributions in a 38-game season (44).
After the match, Salah revealed Slot, who was serving the final game of his touchline suspension in the Main Stand, was understandably unhappy during half-time.
The match marked Liverpool’s only Premier League game in March due to a busy month that features appearances in the Champions League round of 16, the League Cup final and the FA Cup quarter-finals plus the international break.
Meanwhile, a chipped finish from Ismaila Sarr late in the second half gave Crystal Palace a 1-0 home win over relegation-threatened Ipswich Town, with the visitors left to rue a slew of missed chances.
It was a different tale earlier in the match as Smallbone stunned the crowd at a sun-drenched Anfield with a goal for the visitors in first-half injury time, when a mix-up between Reds goalkeeper Alisson and centre-back Virgil van Dijk saw the ball fall invitingly to Smallbone, who scored from an angle.
The league leaders thoroughly dominated after the break and Nunez levelled in the 51st minute after Luis Diaz worked the ball past two Southampton defenders before teeing up the Uruguayan who slotted home from close range.
Nunez drew a penalty three minutes later when Smallbone caught him on the back of the ankle in the box, and Salah unleashed a blistering shot from the spot past Aaron Ramsdale into the inside side netting. Salah ensured Liverpool’s lead with a second penalty in the 87th minute after a handball from Yukinari Sugawara.
