Liverpool finally were able to break through and get a win in the Premier League on Saturday, their first league win since September 20. The 2-0 result over Aston Villa saw reinvigorated performances from
quite a few players who have struggled over the barren spell, including talisman Mohamed Salah. It was probably Salah’s best performance of the season, displaying great hold up play and tricky footwork to beat players on the dribble while also bringing others into play with his passing and movement.
Salah scored the opening goal of the match in the first minute of added time in the first half. The goal was his 250th for Liverpool in all competitions.
After the match, Salah was asked what the milestone goal meant to him. Salah was understandably happy about reaching the mark, noting that it has been great that the goals have also been involved in winning major trophies.
“It’s a great feeling to score goals and win trophies for such a big club. It’s something I don’t take for granted. I’m so proud and so happy about that achievement.”
While Salah was happy to mark the milestone, he was probably more relieved that the goal came in a winning effort. He felt the points and a modicum of momentum were important ahead of two big matches in the upcoming week.
“It’s very important. We had a few losses in the Premier League and Champions League but I’m glad we start to come back on track now. It’s a good plus before very important games against [Real] Madrid and [Manchester] City. It’s a very important win for us.”
It was expected that there would be some growing pains this season as Arne Slot tried to integrate quite a few new players into the regular rotation. Losing four Premier League matches on the bounce, and six from seven in all competitions over that stretch was definitely a surprising, however. Salah feels like it is just a matter of time for things to start really clicking for the Reds.
“I said from the beginning – I know football, I’ve played for many years – I said it’s a very tricky season for us. We had a few new players, very good signings but they need time to adapt to the old team. And we lost a few good players as well. We just need time to adapt and know each other’s games, and I think we’ll be fine.”
Let’s hope the win over Aston Villa is a sign of the players starting to figure it out.
