Mohamed Salah compared Liverpool’s win at Tottenham to Manchester City’s defeat to Spurs after scoring twice and setting a new record in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Reds moved four points clear at the top of the table by winning 6-3 with the help of two goals and two assists from Salah, who is the first player in Premier League history to reach 10 goals and 10 assists by Christmas.
The result was the latest lavishly entertaining game involving 11th-placed Tottenham, with manager Ange Postecoglou’s riskily attacking brand of football producing a 4-0 win at City on November 23.
As it stands for Christmas 🎄🎅 pic.twitter.com/y6EGUgs8tv
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 22, 2024
Salah: Spurs ‘have the way they play’
“We expected the way they played: they open the game and enjoy football,” Salah told Sky Sports, speaking after his 26th direct goal involvement of the season – nine ahead of next-nearest rival Cole Palmer, of Chelsea.
“You have to always be in the game; it is really tough, physically and mentally. They have the way they play and they don’t change it much.
“City [faced them] and struggled, and so have some other teams. I’m really glad we won because they play a very intense game.”
“If you’re Chelsea or Arsenal, you’re watching that thinking, these are going to take some stopping” 👀
Jamie Carragher reacts Liverpool’s big win over Tottenham 🔴 pic.twitter.com/OaRy7IrrtN
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 22, 2024
Liverpool ‘need to improve defensively’
Salah was less impressed with Liverpool’s defending after they conceded more than one goal for a third game of their last five.
They have now let in 16 goals in 16 matches and are tied with third-placed Arsenal for the fewest goals against, although the Gunners have played a game more.
“Defensively, we need to improve as a team,” warned Salah. “Conceding three goals is quite hard. [Defender] Virgil [van Dijk] will speak better than me about that. The result is quite good and hopefully we will keep going.”
What sets Liverpool apart from other title contenders? 👀🏆 pic.twitter.com/gUGkfFZmyi
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 22, 2024
Mo Salah stats: 229 Liverpool goals
The second of Salah’s goals, which came within the space of eight second-half minutes, put the Egypt icon in front of Billy Liddell as Liverpool’s fourth-highest scorer of all time.
He looks likely to score the 13 goals required to overtake third-placed Gordon Hodgson this season, but his prospects of scoring the 57 needed to surpass Roger Hunt’s total will depend on whether he extends his contract before it expires at the end of the campaign.
Ian Rush is 117 goals ahead of Salah, so the 32-year-old may need to stay at Anfield for another five years to take the Wales legend’s record of 346, if he averages his tally of 25 last season and stays fit and a first-choice player.
