Atalanta vs Liverpool: How Mo Salah has quietly gone about his business with spotlight on Reds's new acquisitions
Mo Salah makes headlines again. Unfortunately for the Egyptian forward, it was all about garnering harsh flak for his penalty that he earned following an incident in their Saturday's Premier League clash against West Ham which they won 2-1. Salah was one of the scorers with Diogo Jota. David Moyes, the Hammers manager, wasn't too pleased and he called Salah's fall under a tackle from Arthur Masuaku "a dive" although there was contact from the defender.
While Klopp has come to his defense and this would eventually blow over. It's fascinating to see Salah just evolving as a player by the day and quietly going about his business even as the spotlight is on Liverpool's new acquisitions, and of late, the injuries that have hampered the side. The 28-year-old has seven goals from as many appearances for the side. Currently first on the standings table, this is essentially one goal per game that Salah contributes to.
To better emphasize why this stat is actually something to be mighty impressed about, Salah had failed to reach the five-goal mark until the Reds ninth game in the 2017-18 season before setting a record 32 goals in 36 appearances. In the following seasons, he breached the five-goal mark again in the tenth game, and this time, he's placed ahead of the curve.
That's not all. Of the 32 shots, he's taken, 14 of them have been on target putting his shooting accuracy at 44%. Last season, the accuracy was just 1 percent higher as he finished with 19 goals from 34 appearances. Salah leads the club's scorers with seven goals this season, followed by Sadio Mane (4) and Jota (3). He's third below Everton's Dominic-Calvert Lewin (8) and Tottenham Hotspur's Heung-Min Son (8) in the league. It wouldn't be a surprise that equals the score when the Reds take on Manchester City this weekend.
In a way, the limelight on the Reds signings, especially Jota seems to have worked in favor of the striker. Not to say, Jota doesn't deserve the attention. The former Wolves man has been pressing his case for a spot in the starting XI with a string of consistent performances and that makes him a vital cog in Liverpool's attack plans. Perhaps, Mane's Covid-19 break was an added responsibility that Salah fulfilled as well. With the absence of one quality striker, Salah finding the back of the net every game augurs well for Klopp.
Up next, the Reds square-off against Atalanta in Italy, and the onus will be on Salah again to deliver for the Reds. With the defense looking rather soft, the strikers will need to double-up and score to put as much distance as they can. The Serie a side will surely come hard at Liverpool and for Salah, this is another opportunity to cement his name in Liverpool's pantheon of greats.
Kick-off is slated for 3 pm ET on Tuesday, November 3. The game can be watched live on CBS All Access.