The big story when the draw was made for the Champions League semi-final was Mohamed Salah playing against former team Roma. His old side nearly handed him a shocking defeat on his return to his old stomping ground, beating Liverpool 4-2 on Wednesday but losing 7-6 on aggregate.
Here’s a closer look at how Salah performed on his Stadio Olimpico return.
KEY STATS
Goals – 0
Assists – 0
Shots – 3
Shots on target – 1
Pass accuracy – 91%
Key Passes – 1
Dribbles – 2
Touches – 21
30-SECOND REPORT
On his much-anticipated return to Rome, Salah rarely gave his old fans any moment to rue his departure – though he had done enough in the first leg. Roma were better set up to handle the threat of their former star on this occasion, and it led to a strangely quiet night for the man who has been unstoppable this season.
GOT RIGHT
For once, not much. This was a quiet display from Liverpool’s talisman, who didn’t get on the game as much as he would have expected, especially given the Reds were playing on the counter. His value on Wednesday was largely just in being there, occupying the Roma defence, which allowed Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino space and time on the ball.
A moment of madness from Roma’s keeper was the closest Salah came to scoring.
GOT WRONG
On a couple of occasions Salah missed chances to play in his teammates in scoring positions, opting for safer passes. He also rarely got on the ball in space, which meant he couldn’t drive at the defence with his usual dangerous running. A subdued performance overall, summed up by the fact that he had only one shot on target.
KEY MOMENTS
81st minute, CHANCE: A moment of madness from Roma keeper Alisson, who charged out to try to hold Salah off and usher the ball out. The two duelled for the ball and Salah just failed to carve out a chance.
VERDICT
It was a strangely ineffective performance from Salah, who for once was outshone by his two attacking colleagues. Much is owed to Roma’s significantly improved defence, as Kostas Manolas and Federico Fazio marshalled him well. At least he wasn’t faced with the trauma of scoring at his former home ground and breaking his former fans’ hearts. On to the final.
RATING – 6/10
