After he once again had Manchester United on strings, we examine Mohamed Salah’s incredible record against the Red Devils.
Mohamed Salah suggested Sunday’s 3-0 win over Manchester United could be his last game at Old Trafford for Liverpool – if it turns out to be the case, he produced a performance befitting of such an occasion.
It’s fair to say, Man Utd supporters are sick of the sight of Salah. The Egyptian superstar has been a constant nuisance to the Red Devils ever since joining Liverpool; in fact, “nuisance” doesn’t do his record or impact justice, rather he’s become a regular tormentor of them.
Salah was surprisingly candid when speaking to Sky Sports after Sunday’s game, casting doubt over his future as he referenced the fact his contract ends next year and talks are yet to commence over an extension.
Of course, you always get the impression that if he ultimately wants to stay, he will. But there was a considerable degree of focus after the game on the possibility of it being his last Liverpool game at Old Trafford, and as such it brought his record in these meetings to the surface.
Salah’s stranglehold over United has been astonishing; we highlighted as much in the build-up to Sunday’s game.
He went into the weekend having scored 11 goals in 13 Premier League appearances against the Red Devils, which was one more than Alan Shearer managed in 25 matches against them (10). Salah had also already netted more goals at Old Trafford than any other visiting player in Premier League history with six in as many games there, one more than Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard (5).
Of course, he then went on to add another this time, sweeping home Liverpool’s third and final goal after Kobbie Mainoo was robbed in midfield.
But that was just the tip of the iceberg. He’d also set up Luis Díaz for both of the Colombian’s goals, the first a chipped cross and the second a devastating outside-of-the-boot pass that caught the United defence by surprise.
Those contributions leave him with 18 Premier League goal involvements against United (12 goals, six assists), with 10 of those coming at Old Trafford – he already owned both records in the competition, and so he only strengthened his hold on those achievements.
When you expand the scope to look at all competitions, his record is even more impressive, with 15 goals in 16 competitive games for Liverpool against Man Utd, and 10 in nine games at Old Trafford.
We can add additional gloss to the latter fact as well by pointing out that he’s only the second player ever to score at least 10 goals (all comps) at a single away ground after Alan Shearer (10 at Elland Road) for a Premier League club. That of course means he could break that record if he does end up staying at Liverpool beyond this season.
Salah’s overseen and inspired some absolutely brutal defeats of United as a result. There was the 7-0 Anfield win in March 2023 in which he score twice and set up another two; the 4-0 on Merseyside in April 2022 when he had a hand in three goals; he scored a hat-trick and got an assist in the October 2021 5-0 battering at Old Trafford; and now Sunday’s introduction to this fixture for Arne Slot.
Out of Liverpool’s 23 most recent top-flight goals scored against their bitter rivals, Salah has scored or assisted 73.9% (17/23) of them, which as alluded to before, is more than any other player has managed against United in Premier League history.
Sunday’s masterclass also saw him become the first player in the Premier League era to net in five successive top-flight games against United, while only five others had ever achieved that feat against a single club.
Salah’s record in such a big game, probably the biggest in English football, isn’t only testament to his ability, but also his mentality. That he continues to decide these game on a consistent basis is remarkable.
While this United team may not be up there with the great sides of their past, the fixture itself still holds such significance. Salah always shows up in them and so has created a legacy that’ll be spoken about for decades to come.
For the sake of Liverpool fans and neutrals, you hope this wasn’t his last Liverpool game at Old Trafford because he almost guarantees box office quality; United supporters will hope they never have to see him again.
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