LONDON – Mohamed Salah returned to the field after a four-match hiatus, and his comeback was anything but ordinary—it was historic. In the 16th round of the English Premier League, Liverpool defeated Brighton 2-0 at home, with the Egyptian star entering the match as a substitute in the 26th minute.
Salah surpassed Wayne Rooney to become the player with the most goal contributions for a single club in Premier League history, delivering the perfect response to a week of turmoil at Anfield.
After coming on, the 33-year-old revitalized the team’s attacks. During the match, he provided one assist, playing a crucial role in securing the victory. Most importantly, this assist became a historic milestone for Salah.
With this contribution, Salah set a new Premier League record for goal involvements by a player at a single club. The Liverpool forward has now amassed 277 goals and assists in 302 league appearances, surpassing Rooney’s previous mark of 276 for Manchester United.
It is worth noting that Salah joined the Reds in the summer of 2017. Since then, he has scored 188 goals and provided 89 decisive assists in the English championship. These achievements have made him one of the most prolific players in Liverpool’s history.
The Egyptian forward once again demonstrated his impact on the team’s game every time he steps onto the pitch. Breaking a record even as a substitute highlights Salah’s status as a top-tier footballer. Fans are celebrating his new historic achievements with great joy.
The home team, whose title defence has collapsed after a shocking run of results, were leading 1-0 at the time, with France forward Hugo Ekitike on the scoresheet after just 46 seconds.
Brighton squandered a number of opportunities to level and Ekitike scored again with half an hour to go to give Liverpool breathing space, AFP reported.
“Mohamed is a great, great professional,” Ekitike said to BBC Match of the Day. “I look to him as an example. You can see how much he is involved in goals and assists. He is a legend here. To share the pitch is a blessing. That’s the kind of player who makes us like to watch football.”
Salah accused Liverpool of throwing him “under the bus” after he was left on the bench for last week’s 3-3 draw at Leeds — the third match in a row that he had been named among the replacements.
He also said that he had no relationship with manager Arne Slot.
Salah was omitted from the midweek Champions League trip to Inter Milan, which Liverpool won 1-0, posting a picture on social media of himself alone in the gym.
Slot said at Friday’s pre-match press conference that he would speak to the forward later in the day, adding: “I have no reasons (in) not wanting him to stay.”
There was feverish speculation in the build-up to Saturday’s match about what role Salah would play, with the winger named on the bench.
Liverpool, who had won just two of 10 Premier League matches before the Brighton game, made a lightning start, taking the lead in the first minute when Joe Gomez set up Ekitike, who thumped the ball past Bart Verbruggen.
Salah entered the fray about 20 minutes before half-time when Gomez was withdrawn.
Brighton’s Diego Gomez squandered a good chance to level early in the second half, striking the ball against the outside of a post, and Brajan Gruda also went close as the home crowd chanted Salah’s name.
Liverpool doubled their lead in the 60th minute when Ekitike scored his second, nodding home Salah’s corner.
Salah himself went close in stoppage time after he was set up by Federico Chiesa but he blazed over.
The win lifts Slot’s men to sixth in the table ahead of the later kick-offs on Saturday, easing the pressure on the beleaguered manager.
Salah, who signed a new two-year contract at Liverpool in April, is about to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations.
The length of his absence depends on how far Egypt go in the competition in Morocco, with the final taking place on January 18.
