Mohamed Salah Makes History in Liverpool’s 3-3 Thriller with Newcastle

Mo Salah has already done enough to secure his place in the pantheon of Premier League greats. He is among the leading goalscorers in the competition’s history and should overtake David Beckham to move into the top 10 for assists too. He is also a club legend at Liverpool, a side not exactly short on heroes and greats given their huge trophy cabinet.

On Wednesday, Salah played a starring role in what may well have been the best game of the season so far. The Egyptian ace was the key performer for his side in a pulsating 3-3 draw with Newcastle at St James’ Park. He scored twice, taking his tally to 13 for the season, ahead of Erling Haaland and in pole position for the PL Golden Boot. That took his career total to 170 Premier League strikes from just 277 appearances.

Salah also laid on a lovely assist for Curtis Jones, and that was Salah’s 77th in the English top flight. He sits just behind Beckham’s 80 assists, 11th overall, but a place among the top 10 goal-creators surely beckons sooner rather than later. 247 goal involvements from 277 games is a stunning return and even at more than £40m (including add-ons) Salah has been a bargain for the Reds.

He will turn 33 before next season begins but surely the club have to try and secure a new deal for their star attacker. That is a decision and a negotiation for Liverpool but in the here and now, following his dazzling and highly productive performance against the Magpies, Salah is now the outright holder of yet another record.

Mohamed Salah image credit: Cosmin Iftode, Bigstock

Niche but a Record Nonetheless

Growing up, kids may dream of playing for their favourite team, representing their country and maybe even, for the most ambitious young strikers, of breaking goalscoring records. We think it safe to assume, however, that no up-and-coming footballer has ever fantasised about boasting the most PL games in which they both scored and assisted a goal.

Whilst this may be something of a niche record, the sort of stat that only excites real football nerds, it is a record nonetheless. Moreover, when we look at the other players on the list, we can see what a fine indication of brilliance this stat is.

Prior to the game against Newcastle, Salah was tied with Wayne Rooney, both players having appeared in 36 games where they both scored and assisted at least once. Now it is the former who is the sole holder of this record. In 37 separate Premier League matches the Liverpool legend has hit the back of the net himself, whilst also laying on a goal for one of his teammates as well.

Just to show what sort of player it takes to achieve this seemingly fairly unimpressive feat on a regular basis, here are the six players Mo now looks down upon.

Wayne Rooney – 36 Games

Rooney holds or held many records of his own and this is one that, like his record goals tally for England, has now passed on to someone else. The former Everton and Man United star’s 36 games with at least one goal and at least a single assist stood for a number of years but now it is Mo’s time. Rooney played 491 PL games in total, ending his career with 208 goals and 103 assists, making him the only player in the competition’s history to boast 200+ goals and 100+ assists.

Thierry Henry – 32 Games

French magician Henry held the record for this rather niche stat until Rooney went past him. Henry played the game with a magisterial grace and was a joy to watch but he also boasted phenomenal end product. He didn’t make it to triple figures for assists, but 249 goal involvements (175 goals, 74 assists) from just 258 games is a stunning return.

Alan Shearer – 31 Games

Shearer held this record prior to Henry but the Geordie remains the all-time record goalscorer in the Premier League. With Harry Kane having left the English top flight for Bayern Munich, Shearer’s mark of 260 goals should remain a record for some years yet. He played 441 times in the PL, though his career began in the pre-Premier League era, and in addition to that fine haul of goals, he also has 64 assists to his name.

Andrew Cole – 28 Games

Andy Cole, as he used to be known before making it clear he preferred Andrew, was a goalscorer through and through. A brilliant finisher who did almost all his work in and around the six-yard box, Cole still managed to bag 73 Premier League assists. He played 414 times in the competition and his 187 goals mean he is fourth on the scorers’ list.

Frank Lampard – 27 Games

Almost all the players on this list are different in style from each other but Lampard is one of just two who was categorically more of a midfielder than anything else. That makes his achievement all the more impressive, although he did feature in a massive 609 top-flight matches. “Lamps” is another to have 100+ goals and assists, with 177 of the former and 102 of the latter.

Kevin De Bruyne – 27 Games

De Bruyne will move above Lampard soon enough and become the highest-ranked midfielder on this list. KDB has been integral to City’s success over the past 10 years and the fact that he has achieved amazing numbers of 70 goals and 114 assists from just 268 league appearances shows how special he is. He may not make it to 100 goals but even so, he must go down as one of the greatest PL midfielders ever.

Salah Going from Strength to Strength

Liverpool fans and neutrals will hope that Salah can extend his stay with Liverpool and in the PL. Nobody knows how many more great years he will have but right now he is playing as well as ever. He has played in all 14 of his club’s league games this term, netting 13 times and recording eight assists.

He scored and assisted on the opening day of the season against Ipswich and hasn’t looked back. He did the same again against Man United (including two assists), then against Chelsea, Villa, Man City and Newcastle. As that record shows, Salah is also no flat-track bully, often scoring – and of course assisting – in the big games, against the top teams.