Virgil Van Dijk has claimed that Mohamed Salah should have had a Liverpool hat-trick last night.
Salah scored twice as The Reds dismantled Leeds United at Anfield. But speaking to LFCTV GO after the 6-0 rout, Van Dijk said that he was disappointed Mo didn’t score more.
“Today he [Salah] should’ve had a hat-trick in my opinion if we are very harsh on him, with that clearance at the end from Firpo,” smiled Virgil.
The Dutchman won’t be the only one to be disappointed. Knowing the standards that Salah holds himself to, he will have been upset too.
After scoring twice in the first half, Mo had plenty of time to add a third against an obliging Leeds defence.
As it is, two will have to do. His penalty double puts him on 19 Premier League goals for the season and takes him to 27 now in all competions.
Forwards who know how to defend
Alongside his playful remark about his Egyptian teammate, Van Dijk also praised Salah’s defensive contribution.
“He’s chasing records, but he knows that first and foremost we want to achieve good things during this season,” said the 30-year-old.
“He has a big part to play in that with his goals but also with his defending, with his work rate and stuff.”
It is a side of Salah’s game that often goes unnoticed.
That’s understandable given the unholy amount of goals he scores. But it is absolutely crucial to Jurgen Klopp’s system.
Klopp alluded to this as he spoke after Liverpool’s win over Norwich last weekend.
The manager made some interesting comments about how Luis Diaz needs to adapt to the defensive role he has to play.
It may seem like Liverpool’s forwards are attacking, goal-scoring machines, and largely they are. But their ability to halt opposition attacks and spring forward with pace is what helps get them so many goals.
Watch out Chelsea
Salah has two goals in two games this season against Chelsea. It is a fixture that means more to him given his past affiliation with the club.
His difficulty breaking into their side during his first spell in England is what drove him to come back and dominate the league with Liverpool.
After his failure to complete a hat-trick against Leeds, he’ll be determined to go one better in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final.
With silverware on the line, there’s no one we’d rather have leading Liverpool’s attack.
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