- Liverpool cruised to a 3-0 win over Southampton at Anfield
- Mohamed Salah scored twice in another superb performance
- Philippe Coutinho added the third to move Liverpool up to 5th in the Premier League
- READ MORE: Opinion: Why Mohamed Salah is the perfect Liverpool signing
Liverpool cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win over Southampton in today’s Premier League encounter at Anfield, with Mohamed Salah stealing the show.
The Egypt international scored twice in the first half to fire himself top of the Premier League scoring charts, before Philippe Coutinho added a third in the second half.
Man of the match
It’s a pretty easy one here, but Salah gets the award for another breathtaking display to show he’s surely one of the signings of the summer.
Given some of the eye-watering transfer fees we saw this summer, BBC Sport‘s claim that Liverpool paid Roma just £34million for Salah shows that bargains can still be found at this level.
With nine league goals already, Salah is showing himself to be just the goal poacher Liverpool needed, but with the added bonus of also providing great pace and skill in their already-potent attack.
Flop of the match
In truth, barely anyone at Southampton showed up today, but that accolade has to go to Dusan Tadic.
As well as being near-invisible in attack for the visitors, the Serbian let his side down with a costly error leading to Salah’s first goal and was subbed off early.
Despite so much promise when he first joined, Tadic really isn’t justifying his place in Mauricio Pellegrino’s team right now.
Stat of the match
Of course it involves Salah again – the 25-year-old has made a small piece of Liverpool history this evening.
According to Empire of the Kop, Salah now stands alone as the player with the most goals in his first 12 Liverpool appearances – ahead of a certain Robbie Fowler.
It may have taken them three years, but it looks increasingly like Liverpool finally have their replacement for Luis Suarez.
Salah has the highest goal tally from LFC player in a season since Luis Suarez’s 31-goal 2013/2014 season… it’s only November
— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) November 18, 2017
Player ratings
Liverpool: Mignolet 6, Lovren 7, Klavan 6, Alexander-Arnold 7, Moreno 7, Henderson 8, Wijnaldum 8, Coutinho 9, Mane 7, Salah 9, Firmino 7 / Subs: Can 6, Oxlade-Chamberlain 6, Milner 6
Southampton: Forster 5, Van Dijk 6, Hoedt 6, Soares 6, Bertrand 6, Davis 5, Romeu 6, Redmond 5, Tadic 5, Boufal 5, Long 6 / Subs: Ward-Prowse 6, Austin 5, Gabbiadini 6
Reaction
Unsurprisingly, it was all about one man – Mohamed Salah. It’s fair to say Anfield has a new hero.
At one point in the game, Salah and Eden Hazard were level on Premier League goals in 2017, with nine each – though the Liverpool man has, of course, only been involved since August.
Okay so Hazard went and ruined things a bit by scoring again against West Brom, but Liverpool fans certainly enjoyed the moment with a reminder to the Egyptian’s old club…
PL goals in 2017 ??
Hazard – 9
Salah – 9— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) November 18, 2017
Salah having a better season than Hazard? Ahhh I love this game
— Kofi (@KofiHellewell) November 18, 2017
Hazard’s best season had 17 goals. With penalties.
Salah already has 14 goals. It’s only mid-fucking-November.
— P?? (@AnfieldAn) November 18, 2017