Liverpool had reasons to dread the prospect of history being made at Anfield. Instead, they could celebrate it. Their slump was such that they were threatened with the prospect of a seventh defeat in eight games, a fate they have not suffered since 1926, the year of the birth of Queen Elizabeth II. It was more about Anfield’s beloved ‘Egyptian King’, however. Mohamed Salah became just the third player to reach 250 Liverpool goals, joining Ian Rush and Roger Hunt in a select club of Anfield greats. “That is huge, that is almost unbelievable,” said Arne Slot.
The importance of a landmark strike stretched far beyond the statistical. Liverpool ended a run of four consecutive Premier League losses, banking their first points since September. They leapt to third in the table. That, Slot may argue, is no crisis.
Certainly, it felt like his luck turned. “Maybe we were a bit more on the lucky side than we have been in the last few weeks,” he said. “A mistake of their goalkeeper and a deflection led to our goals.” Emi Martinez was the provider of Salah’s opener with a misplaced pass. Then the returning Ryan Gravenberch’s shot came off both centre-backs, Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa, to wrong-foot Martinez.
“I'm glad we are back on track now,” said Salah. Given the run Liverpool have been on and, with Real Madrid and Manchester City next, the spectre of nine defeats in 10, it mattered less how they won than simply that they did. “In other games we have created more in open play than we did today but football is about results,” added Slot. There were early jitters, with Aston Villa twice hitting the woodwork in the first 20 minutes, but it developed into a more authoritative Liverpool performance. After six losses in a row against English clubs, they were deserving winners.
Significantly, Slot got the backing of the Kop, with a loud chorus of his name. “Especially because it happened at 0-0 and not when you are leading,” he said, grateful for their loyalty. There was no lack of effort from his players, with a vibrancy to Liverpool’s play, their regulars perhaps benefiting from a midweek rest. Slot had sacrificed the Carabao Cup and been unapologetic about his selection against Crystal Palace. But that gamble always required a response three days later. Slot got one. Salah was among those who got Wednesday night off and, for the first time since the win over Atletico Madrid, he looked irrepressible. He tormented Lucas Digne.
Like Liverpool, Salah had been in a malaise and, given his role in pivotal influence in the good times, it is unsurprising they were connected. But Salah had belted a consolation goal at Brentford; an otherwise grim night for Liverpool may have yielded a bonus. It also took him to 249.
His 250th was a gift. “It was a huge mistake,” said Unai Emery. “It was easy for Salah but it was my responsibility.” Yet, given Martinez’s persona, his errors tend to be hubristic. The World Cup winner was aiming for Torres, but nowhere near finding the Spaniard as he instead picked out Salah. Right-footed finishes have been a relative rarity – this was just a 38th of those 250 – but was rolled in with precision as he found the net at Anfield in the Premier League for the first time since the opening night of the season.
Liverpool’s supporters had celebrated two minutes earlier, when Hugo Ekitike headed in Dominik Szoboszlai’s cross. Anfield had echoed to the sound of the Frenchman’s name, yet a replay proved he was offside.
Szoboszlai’s role was notable, though. Before then, the Hungarian - tellingly, preferred to Florian Wirtz as the No 10 – had a hat-trick of shots. Martinez made a couple of saves, rescuing Boubakar Kamara, who had a poor pass intercepted by the Hungarian, and repelling a free kick. One was a warning that Villa’s attempts to pass out from the back could backfire. It went unheeded.
If the second goal stemmed from Torres losing the ball, it owed more to the way it flew off the Spaniard as he tried to block Gravenberch’s shot. Villa may have been ill-fated but they also felt ideal opponents; Slot has lamented about long balls and set-pieces from Liverpool’s recent conquerors, but Emery stuck to a different style of play.
It might have brought a dividend. Liverpool have never conceded the first goal of a game for eight consecutive matches in the same season, but they were twice inches away from that unwanted distinction.
“The margins are small every single game,” said Slot. And Morgan Rogers curled a fifth-minute shot against the post, with Liverpool again looking susceptible to swift breaks. Matty Cash, who has developed a habit of scoring spectacular goals, almost added another, with Giorgi Mamardashvili tipping a screamer on to the bar. It was the Georgian’s most convincing performance of his brief Liverpool career and an outing to illustrated why he is considered among the best young goalkeepers in the global game.
“The defending as a team was good,” said Virgil van Dijk. It helped that Andy Robertson was preferred to Milos Kerkez and Liverpool kept just a third clean sheet of the campaign. Villa, who could have gone third themselves with a win, are instead in the bottom half. One night can change a lot; Liverpool will hope it alters the course of their season.
