In this column, we track the best Arab football talents plying their trade in the Premier League and round-up their accomplishments every week.
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah is never far from the headlines after a series of devastating displays for the Reds, and he features this week following Jurgen Klopp side’s 4-0 win against Bournemouth.
Meanwhile, Riyad Mahrez failed to fire in Leicester’s defeat at home to Crystal Palace and Ahmed Hegazi performed well against Manchester United at the Hawthorns.
Here’s a look at how these Arab footballers fared this weekend.
MOHAMED SALAH | BOURNEMOUTH 0-4 LIVERPOOL
The Egyptian ace was instrumental at the Vitality Stadium, setting the grass alight with his smoking footwork and tireless workrate.
The 25-year-old stands out because of his ability to dribble and cause problems, and he weighed in with a superb first-half goal as Klopp’s men stormed to a 4-0 victory.
Incredibly, Salah is now the fastest Liverpool player to reach the 20-goal mark than former Reds’ legends Luis Suarez, Robbie Fowler and Fernando Torres.
Rating – 9/10
KEY STATS
Minutes – 70
Goal – 1
Shots – 4
Shots on target – 2
Key Passes – 1
Passing Accuracy – 80%
Touches – 47
Passes – 30
RIYAD MAHREZ | LEICESTER 0-3 CRYSTAL PALACE
Had a quiet day at the office as Palace tightened the midfield, cutting down his ability to move inside and play his usual attacking game.
His one notable contribution was at the start of the second half when he raced past former team-mate Jeffrey Schlupp and fired a shot that Julian Speroni tipped wide.
With Arsenal and Roma reportedly battling for his signature, the Algerian needs to step up to prove his €50 million price tag.
The 26-year-old was linked with a host of clubs over the summer, but is yet to replicate his stellar form from the Foxes’ Premier League title winning campaign 19 months ago.
Rating – 6/10
KEY STATS
Minutes – 90
Shots – 1
Shots on target – 1
Key Passes – 1
Passing Accuracy – 72.7%
Touches – 62
Passes – 33
AHMED HEGAZI |WEST BROM 1-2 MAN UNITED
The Egyptian was rewarded for his recent solid displays by penning a permanent deal at the Hawthorns until 2022.
Against Manchester United, the 26-year-old looked hesitant and nervous for large parts of the contest with his deflection gifting the visitors’ second goal.
Jesse Lingard found space around 20-yards from goal, and Hegazi’s leg deflected the ball to Ben Foster’s right – with the goalkeeper already committing to the opposite side.
Overall, though, Hegazi stood up well against Romelu Lukaku and has been a totemic presence at the back this season for Alan Pardew’s side with commanding displays against West Ham and Arsenal.
Rating – 6/10
KEY STATS
Minutes – 90
Tackles – 2
Clearances – 3
Blocks – 1
Interceptions – 2
Passing Accuracy – 86.8%
Touches – 52
Passes – 38
