Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and three Arab footballers star in Premier League opening weekend

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  • The 2017/18 Premier League season is underway and some of the Arab football stars on show have made it a point to leave their mark on the opening weekend.

    Algerian attacking midfielder Riyad Mahrez and Egyptian defensive midfielder Mohamed Elneny were both in the thick of things as Arsenal beat Leicester City 4-3 in the opening fixture.

    Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah impressed on his competitive debut for Liverpool as did Ahmed Hegazi who proved to be the match winner for West Brom.

    Here’s a look at how these Arab footballers fared this weekend.

    RIYAD MAHREZ | ARSENAL 4-3 LEICESTER CITY

    The Algerian was a constant threat during a pulsating game. He was a bit shackled in the first half but came alive in the second period.

    He forced Petr Cech into a great save in the 56th minute but his resultant corner saw Jamie Vardy score.

    Rating – 7/10

    KEY STATS

    Shots – 2

    Assists – 1

    Key Passes – 1

    Passing Accuracy – 76.7%

    Touches – 62

    Passes – 30

    Dribbles – 2

    Riyad Mahrez

    Riyad Mahrez

    MOHAMED ELNENY | ARSENAL 4-3 LEICESTER CITY

    In the same fixture, Elneny wound up on the winning side of this opening day thriller. He made an impact as early as the first minute with his inviting cross headed in by new signing Alexandre Lacazette.

    No player had more tackles (4) than the Egyptian despite the midfielder coming off in the 66th minute.

    Rating – 6/10

    KEY STATS

    Shots – 1

    Assists – 1

    Key Passes – 2

    Passing Accuracy – 90.3%

    Touches – 87

    Passes – 72

    Tackles – 4

    Mohamed Elneny (L)

    Mohamed Elneny (L)

    MOHAMED SALAH | WATFORD 3-3 LIVERPOOL

    Liverpool’s new star winger had a difficult first half but won a penalty early in the second to drag Liverpool back into the game.

    Roberto Fimino converted from the spot before then returning the favour with an assist for Salah to score on his competitive debut at his new club.

    Rating – 7.5/10

    KEY STATS

    Shots – 5

    Assists – 1

    Crosses – 1

    Passing Accuracy – 77.8%

    Touches – 32

    Passes – 18

    Dribbles – 1

    Mohamed Salah

    Mohamed Salah

    AHMED HEGAZI | WEST BROM 1-0 BOURNEMOUTH

    The centre-back scored on his West Brom debut to earn all three points against Bournemouth.

    The Egyptian defender powered home a header in the 31st minute from Chris Brunt’s corner kick. He also made a whopping 10 clearances at the other end of the pitch.

    Rating – 8/10

    KEY STATS

    Shots – 3

    Aerials Won – 4

    Key Passes – 1

    Passing Accuracy – 72%

    Touches – 41

    Clearances – 10

    Interceptions – 1

    Ahmed Hegazi (C) scores

    Ahmed Hegazi (C) scores

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