Mohamed Salah compared Liverpool's victory over Tottenham to Manchester City's defeat against Tottenham, after he scored two goals and set a new record in the English Premier League on Sunday.
The Reds moved four points clear at the top of the table with a 6-3 victory with the help of two goals and two assists from Salah, the first player in the history of the English Premier League to reach 10 goals and 10 assists by Christmas.
The result was the latest entertaining match involving 11th-placed Spurs, as coach Ange Postecoglou's dangerous attacking style earned them a 4-0 win over City on 23 November.
Like at Christmas 🎄🎅 pic.twitter.com/y6EGUgs8tv
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 22, 2024
Salah: Tottenham owns the way they play
“We expected the way they played: they opened the game and enjoyed their football,” Salah told Sky Sports, after his 26th direct goal contribution of the season – nine more than his closest rival, Chelsea's Cole Palmer.
“You have to always be in the game; it's really tough, physically and mentally. They have the way they play and they don't change it too much.
“City played them and struggled and so did some other teams. I'm very happy that we won because they played a very strong game.”
“If you are Chelsea or Arsenal, and you see this thinking, it will take some time.” 👀
Jamie Carragher reacts to Liverpool's big win over Tottenham đź”´ pic.twitter.com/OaRy7IrrtN
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 22, 2024
Liverpool needs to improve defensively
Salah was less impressed with Liverpool's defense after conceding more than one goal in the third match of the last five matches.
They have now conceded 16 goals in 16 league games and are tied with third-placed Arsenal for the fewest goals, although the Gunners have played a game more.
Salah warned: “Defensively, we need to improve as a team.” “Conceding three goals is very difficult. (defender) Virgil (van Dijk) will speak better than me on this matter. The result is very good and we hope we can continue it.”
What distinguishes Liverpool from other title contenders? 👀🏆 pic.twitter.com/gUGkfFZmyi
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 22, 2024
Mohamed Salah statistics: 229 goals for Liverpool
Salah's second goal, which came within eight minutes of the second half, put the Egypt icon ahead of Billy Liddell as Liverpool's fourth-highest all-time goalscorer.
He looks likely to score the 13 goals needed to beat third-placed Gordon Hodgson this season, but his odds of getting the 57 goals needed to surpass Roger Hunt's total will depend on whether he extends his contract before it expires at the end of the season.
Ian Rush has a 117-goal lead over Salah, so the 32-year-old may need to stay at Anfield for another five years to match the Wales legend's record of 346 goals, if he averaged 25 last season and maintains his fitness and top flight. – Player selection.
