Liverpool beat RB Salzburg by the skin of their teeth on Wednesday but we saw why Mohamed Salah is special.
The Reds built a 3-0 lead inside 40 minutes but it was 3-3 by the hour mark. Up stepped Salah, though, to win the game less than 10 minutes later.
Liverpool’s first two goals were of outstanding quality, too. Sadio Mane and Andy Robertson finished them but they were team goals that showed the best of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
The latter two weren’t that good – they simply showed why Salah is special.
People judge Salah differently from other players. He gets more leeway and plays more selfishly, for instance. And here’s why.
The first goals needed everyone to be on cue, to play perfectly, to flow perfectly. Salah, who scored both the third and fourth, was merely where he needed to be.
His first was a rebound after the goalkeeper saved it, digging it out from under his feet to finish. It was a pure poacher’s effort and the kind only Salah scores with regularity.
The second goal was also a poacher’s goal. This time Salah got on the end of a flick on to fire past the Salzburg goalkeeper and score the eventual winner.
In all, this is Salah’s role. No, he may not play well, yes he may be very selfish. But he’ll score, even when the team isn’t doing anything special.
It’s an invaluable trait and it’s exactly why Salah is so important to Liverpool.
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