Mohamed Salah makes title admission after reaching Premier League milestone in Liverpool's win over Leicester
Yesterday at 02:54 AM
Mohamed Salah claimed this season ‘feels different’ from previous years after his Liverpool side went seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a 3-1 comeback victory over Leicester.
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s lowly Leicester stunned their hosts as Jordan Ayew beat Alisson with a smart finish to open the scoring after only six minutes at Anfield.
But Cody Gakpo’s sublime equaliser on the stroke of half-time proved a key turning point and the Reds once again underlined their title credentials in the second period, with goals from Curtis Jones and Salah putting the game to bed.
The result ensured the Reds took an imperious seven-point lead at the summit following Chelsea’s shock 2-1 defeat at the hands of Fulham earlier on Boxing Day.
Arne Slot’s men also have a game in hand over their title rivals ahead of their trip to 13th-placed West Ham on Sunday evening.
Speaking shortly after the final whistle on Merseyside, Salah said: ‘It’s a good result. To be fair, they were very tough in the first half and in the second half, the way they prepared themselves…
‘The way they were standing in front of the box was quite hard for us in the first half especially, but we managed to score three goals and it’s a great result.’
On the importance of Gakpo’s leveller in the dying embers of the first half, Salah added: ‘Oh, it was great and it gave us confidence in the second half to go there and try our best to win the game.
‘At 1-0 down you just need to focus and equalise and after that you need to score the second one.
‘But a minute before half-time we scored a great goal. It’s a great result.’
Salah’s 82nd-minute strike was his 100th Premier League goal on home soil for Liverpool, with the forward reaching the milestone in just 142 games.
Only Alan Shearer (91), Thierry Henry (113) and Sergio Aguero (125) have achieved the feat in in fewer matches and Salah admitted he was ‘very proud’ to join such an elite club.
‘Well it’s something I’m very proud of. We keep working hard and hopefully I can go a little bit further,’ the forward responded when informed of his landmark goal.
‘The most important thing is the team winning. Hopefully we win the Premier League and I will have a big impact on that. That would be great for me.’
Back in the 2018/19 season, Liverpool led by ten points, only for Manchester City to get their hands on the Premier League trophy – but Salah believes the situation ‘feels different’ this term.
‘Yeah, it feels different. But the most important thing is we stay humble,’ he continued.
‘That year I think we had a few injuries when we were ahead and lost it in the end but hopefully we carry on with no injuries and just go and win it.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.