It’s not surprising to see Harry Kane and Sergio Aguero in close competition for the Premier League Golden Boot, but at the start of the season, nobody would have backed Mohamed Salah to be neck-and-neck with the two established Premier League strikers in this race. He’s not even a striker, remember?
Yet there he is, after having scored his 22nd league goal of the season in Liverpool‘s 2-0 win over Southampton on Sunday. The Golden Boot is there for the taking, and he’s building a strong case to win player of the year awards at the end of the season – although Kevin De Bruyne is still probably the frontrunner for those.
Here are seven deadly stats that confirm Salah’s brilliance this season.
WAND OF A LEFT FOOT
A massive 19 of Salah’s league goals have come with his magical left foot, which puts him joint-top of the list for most left-footed goals in a Premier League season. The other man to hit 19 was Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler, who did so in the 1994-95 season.
Don’t forget, teams played 42 games in a season back then, and Fowler played in every one of Liverpool’s competitive fixtures that term. Salah has reached the 19-goal tally in just 26 appearances.
Mohamed Salah equals @premierleague record of most left-footed goals in a PL season, 19 of his 22 coming from his left foot – equals Robbie Fowler’s record set in 1994-95.
Top PL scorers this season
23 Kane
22 Salah
21 Aguero pic.twitter.com/4MbciscMoP— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) February 11, 2018
ANOTHER LIVERPOOL RECORD
No one has ever had a better debut season for Liverpool. That’s not just a case of being wowed by recent exploits – statistically, there hasn’t been a player who’s been directly involved in more goals in his first season for Liverpool than Salah this campaign. And there are still 11 games to go.
29 – Mohamed Salah has been directly involved in 29 @premierleague goals this season (22 goals, 7 assists); the most by a @LFC player in their debut season for the club in the competition. Heroic. pic.twitter.com/4YNjRW3Xqg
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 11, 2018
PREMIER LEAGUE’S BEST ATTACKER?
The 29 goal involvements also place him atop the list for Premier League players this season. No other player with at least seven assists has cracked even the 10-goal mark so far, let alone 20.
Meanwhile, among the top goalscorers, he’s leading the way in terms of assists – Kane only has one, while Manchester City‘s Aguero and Raheem Sterling have five and six, respectively. And Salah far outstrips Kane and Aguero in terms of key passes – 44 to the Argentine’s 34 and the Tottenham man’s 27.
🎶 MO SALAH, MO SALAH, MO SALAH… 🎶
Another goal to add to the tally. 💥 pic.twitter.com/1tEdNhdt93
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 11, 2018
PREDATORY INSTINCTS
It’s a slightly surprising stat – 19 of Salah’s goals have come from inside the box. Only Kane and Aguero can top that, with 20 each – which shows just how developed Salah’s predatory instincts are. He might have a penchant for beautiful goals, but he comes alive in the box, and that awareness is arguably his greatest asset.
Comparing anyone to Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo seems far-fetched and unfair, but for a wide player with such great instincts in front of goal , such comparisons are inevitable.
🗣 “He’s as good as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.”
– Samuel Eto’o on Mo Salah. 👀🤙🏼 #FanAntics pic.twitter.com/HIIJMUZHbR
— Fan Antics (@FanAnticsFC) February 12, 2018
BETTER FINISHER THAN KANE?
Kane is routinely held up as the best striker in the country – and there’s no doubting his ability or record. But given that Salah has nearly the same number of goals this season, it’s worth comparing the two goalscorers.
Salah’s assist numbers are far ahead but it’s his prowess as a goalscorer that really stands out. He scores at a quicker rate compared to Kane – 92.5 minutes per goal compared to 96.9 – and requires fewer shots to score, 82 compared to 109. That puts Salah’s conversion rate at 27 per cent, whereas Kane’s is 21 per cent, and Salah scores from 45 per cent of his shots on target, while Kane only registers 37 per cent.
🤔Who would you rather have?🤔
⚪Kane or Salah?🔴 pic.twitter.com/KOURDUIRhd— ⚽️442oons⚽️ (@442oons) February 4, 2018
GUNNING FOR DROGBA’S RECORD
Didier Drogba won the Premier League Golden Boot in 2009-10 with 29 goals that season. That’s the most by any African player in a single season – but could Salah break that record?
Eight goals in 11 games is no easy feat, but with his form this season, you’d have to back him to break that record – and create another milestone in the process.
1️⃣1️⃣ games left
8️⃣ goals neededMohamed Salah is on course to become the first African player to score 30 Premier League goals in a single season 🇪🇬#BTSportScorepic.twitter.com/Ujfa5nOCIA
— BT Sport Score (@btsportscore) February 12, 2018
THE PARTNERSHIP DRIVING LIVERPOOL
Salah is the headline act at Liverpool, but what he’s also got is an excellent strike partner, and it showed again on Sunday. The Egyptian and Roberto Firmino both scored in the 2-0 win. But more than that, each one set the other up for a goal, showcasing the relationship the two players have on the pitch.
Liverpool are the only Premier League side with two players involved in 30+ goals across all competitions this season thanks to the efforts of Salah (29 goals, 8 assists) and Firmino (20 goals, 11 assists)
*Stats compiled using Opta
