Seven incredible stats about Mohamed Salah after Liverpool hat-trick

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Planet Football
12th September 2020

Mohamed Salah scored a late penalty to complete a hat-trick as Liverpool beat Leeds United 4-3 in a thrilling Premier League opener – and the Egyptian’s records for the Reds looks more staggering than ever.

Salah put Liverpool ahead from the spot inside four minutes and then scored a superb goal to make it 3-2 after just 33 minutes following goals from Jack Harrison, Virgil van Dijk and Patrick Bamford.

Mateusz Klich made it 3-3 in the 66th minute with a superb goal of his own, and Leeds were closing in on what would have been a deserved point when Rodrigo was penalised for a clumsy challenge on Fabinho and Salah stepped up to send Illan Meslier the wrong way.

He is the first Liverpool player to score a hat-trick on the opening day of the season since John Aldridge in 1988, but that certainly isn’t the only impressive stat Salah can boast about.

If Mo Salah continues at this rate, he'll score 114 Premier League goals this season

— The Anfield Wrap (@TheAnfieldWrap) September 12, 2020

– Salah’s first goal was his 50th at home in the Premier League (including his spell at Chelsea) from just 63 games. Only Alan Shearer (47) has ever reached a half-century of home goals in fewer games.

– Salah has now scored on the opening day of all four of his seasons at Liverpool. No Reds player has ever scored on the opening day of four consecutive league seasons before and Salah is only the second to do so in the Premier League for any club, after Teddy Sheringham (1992-93 to 1995-96 for Tottenham).

– Liverpool have now won each of the last 35 Premier League games in which Salah has scored. That is a new record, beating Manchester United’s previous record of 34 consecutive wins in games Wayne Rooney scored between September 2008 to February 2011.

– Salah has now 97 goals from 154 games for Liverpool. Robbie Fowler currently holds the record for needing the fewest games to reach 100 goals for the club (165), meaning Salah has 10 games to beat him.

Van Dijk on Salah: "That's the media (you guys doubting him). We don't doubt him."

— DaveOCKOP (@DaveOCKOP) September 12, 2020

– Salah is already up to fourth in the club’s list of all-time Premier League goalscorers with 76, and his goals-per-game ratio of 0.7 is comfortably better than all those around him. For comparison, Fowler, who leads the way with 128 goals in the competition, had a ratio of 0.48 goals per game.

– Should Salah continue to score at the same rate, he will equal Fowler’s tally of 128 in another 75 games, which would mean he had hit the landmark from 184 games in comparison to 266 for Fowler.