Tag: Mohammed Salah

The Premier League is back after a two-week international break.

And just in case you needed a reminder of how things stand at both ends of the table we are here to get you up to speed.

At the top, Arne Slot’s runaway leaders Liverpool hold a 12-point advantage over second-placed Arsenal.

At the bottom, all three promoted sides – Southampton, Ipswich and Leicester – are well adrift in the relegation zone and looking as if they are destined for an immediate return to the Championship.

It feels like a matter of ‘when, not if’ those eventualities play out as we head into the final stretch of the season.

But when could the relegation places and title be decided?

What do Liverpool need to win the title?

Liverpool are currently on 70 points – and nearest challengers Arsenal can only reach a maximum of 85 points if they win their remaining nine matches.

The Reds therefore require 16 points from a possible 27 to clinch their second Premier League title – and record-equalling 20th overall.

Fifteen points could also be enough given Liverpool’s goal difference is vastly superior to Arsenal’s (currently +42 to +29).

In fact, given their goal difference supremacy, Slot’s side might only need four wins- as long as one of those is against the Gunners – to secure the title.

When is the earliest Liverpool can win the title?

Arsenal beat Chelsea at Emirates Stadium in their game in hand over Liverpool before the international break.

That victory reduced Liverpool’s lead at the top of the table from 15 points to 12.

But, in terms of when Slot’s side can win the title, it has made little difference.

The earliest date Liverpool could win their 20th league title is 13 April, when they play West Ham at Anfield.

For that scenario to play out, Arsenal need to lose their next two matches against Fulham and Everton, with Liverpool beating Everton and Fulham in that time.

That would leave Arsenal 18 points behind Liverpool with 21 points left to play for.

A Brentford victory against Arsenal on 12 April would leave the Gunners 18 points behind with 18 points left to play for, leaving Liverpool needing a single point against the Hammers on 13 April to claim the title.

Statisticians Opta give Arsenal just a 0.8% chance of winning the title, with Liverpool given a 99.2% chance based on their position and remaining fixtures.

Liverpool’s next four fixtures

Liverpool v Everton – 2 April – 20:00 BST

Fulham v Liverpool – 6 April – 14:00 BST

Liverpool v West Ham – 13 April – 14:00 BST

Leicester v Liverpool – 20 April – 16:30 BST

Arsenal’s next four fixtures

Arsenal v Fulham – 1 April – 19:45 BST

Everton v Arsenal – 5 April – 12:30 BST

Arsenal v Brentford – 12 April – 17:30 BST

Ipswich v Arsenal – 20 April – 14:00 BST

Arsenal were due to face Crystal Palace on 26 April but that match will be rearranged after Palace reached the FA Cup semi-finals. Liverpool will host Tottenham on 27 April.

What about relegation?

Wolves’ 2-1 win against Southampton before the international break was a bitter blow to the bottom three.

Vitor Pereira’s side are the only realistic candidates to be dragged into a relegation battle but that win took them nine points clear of safety.

Both Leicester and Ipswich still retain hope but time is running out for them to close the nine-point gap.

With 27 points left to play for, Wolves could secure their Premier League status by collecting 10 points from their next four matches, provided Leicester and Ipswich both lose their next three matches.

In that scenario, Wolves would go 19 points clear of the bottom three and there would only be 18 points left to play for.

What about Southampton?

Southampton require a minor miracle to stay up, given they are 17 points adrift with just 27 points left to play for.

Instead, Ivan Juric’s side are fighting to avoid earning the tag of the worst Premier League side ever.

That unfortunate title – if we are judging on points alone – belongs to Derby County in 2007-08.

Paul Jewell’s side finished the season on 11 points, fewer than the previous record set by Sunderland in 2005-06 when they finished with 15.

Southampton, therefore, need three points in the next nine matches to pass the unwanted mark set by Derby 17 years ago.

But the Saints are also battling to avoid becoming the ‘earliest’ team in Premier League history to be relegated.

That title is currently shared between Derby and Huddersfield Town side of 2018-19.

On both occasions, the two teams were relegated after gameweek 32 – when there were six matches still to play.

Southampton can ‘beat’ that unwanted record if they lose their next two fixtures, provided Wolves win theirs.

That would leave the Saints 23 points behind Wolves, with just 21 points left to play for.

What about the top four?

The teams that finish in the Premier League’s top four automatically qualify for the following season’s Champions League.

Liverpool, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Chelsea currently occupy those spots.

But just five points separate fourth-placed Chelsea and Bournemouth in 10th, meaning there is a seven-team race on for that fourth spot.

Hold on, what about fifth place?

Here’s where it gets slightly more complicated.

As things stand, finishing in the top four in the Premier League is the only official way to qualify for the Champions League via a team’s domestic position.

But, it looks increasingly likely that England will be granted an additional Champions League spot thanks to its co-efficient ranking.

That means the team that finishes in fifth would also earn a Champions League place.

That team is currently Manchester City. But there are just four points between City and 10th-placed Bournemouth – and every team in the top half will fancy their chances of grabbing that extra spot.

Victor Osimhen inspired Nigeria to their first win in World Cup 2026 qualifying, while Mohamed Salah helped strengthen Egypt’s bid to reach the finals.

Algeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast and South Africa all moved top of their groups and Morocco sealed a late victory amid a busy day which saw 11 qualifiers played across the continent.

Liverpool forward Salah calmly put Egypt in front away against Ethiopia and then turned provider for Zizo to double the lead before the break.

The Pharaohs have established a five-point lead in Group A at the halfway stage of the campaign.

Meanwhile, on-loan Galatasaray striker Osimhen netted both goals in Nigeria’s 2-0 victory in Rwanda, and the Super Eagles are now four points behind South Africa in Group C.

Bafana Bafana moved to the summit after overcoming a stubborn Lesotho side 2-0 thanks to second-half strikes from Relebohile Mofokeng and Jayden Adams.

Only the nine group winners are assured of a place at the expanded 48-team World Cup finals next year.

The four best second-placed sides after 10 games will enter play-offs, with the winners getting a chance to qualify via an intercontinental tournament.

Bilal El Khannouss scored an injury-time winner to spare Morocco’s blushes against unfancied Niger and open up a six-point lead in Group E.

The West Africans, hosting the game in the Moroccan city of Oujda, took a surprise second-half lead through Youssef Oumarou but Ismael Saibari equalised on the hour mark.

Leicester City midfielder El Khannouss was left unmarked at the back post to stoop and head in Noussair Mazraoui’s cross and give the Atlas Lions a ninth consecutive competitive win.

Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo and Leicester’s Jordan Ayew were both on target as Ghana thrashed Chad 5-0 in Accra to move two points above Madagascar in Group I.

Continental champions Ivory Coast laboured to a 1-0 away win over Burundi after Evann Guessand rifled in the only goal in the 16th minute.

The Elephants remain unbeaten and have a one-point advantage over Gabon in Group F.

Elsewhere, DR Congo moved level on points with surprise Group B leaders Sudan as Theo Bongonda’s powerful effort secured a 1-0 win over South Sudan after a disjointed display in Kinshasa.

Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea registered comfortable wins, with Emilio Nsue scoring for the latter on his return to action following a row over his eligibility.

Returning Osimhen gets Nigeria back on track

Victor Osimhen took his tally to 25 goals in 40 senior appearances for Nigeria

Nigeria’s bid for a place at the finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada was in the balance after taking just three points from their first four matches.

Osimhen had been absent through injury from all those games, played across November 2023 and June last year, and had spoken befire the crucial trip to Kigali of how “desperate” he and his team-mates are to reach the tournament.

The pressure was also on new boss Eric Chelle, who is the first non-Nigerian African to take charge of the Super Eagles.

But Osimhen settled any nerves in the 11th minute when he was left unmarked at the back post to guide in Ademola Lookman’s free-kick.

And the striker capitalised on hesitant defending before racing clear and dinking past the onrushing keeper to double the lead in first-half injury time.

Nigeria move up to fourth in Group C, behind South Africa, Benin and Rwanda, and will host bottom side Zimbabwe in their next match on Tuesday.

Nsue finds net after six-month ban

One other talisman who netted on his return to action was Nsue, the top scorer at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations who was then remarkably ruled ineligible to play for Equatorial Guinea by Fifa.

Forced to sit out the qualifying campaign for the 2025 Afcon, the 35-year-old was available again following a second request by his national federation to the world governing body.

Nsue needed just 14 minutes to net against Sao Tome e Principe and extend his all-time national record to 23 goals for the National Thunder.

The striker was then involved in the build-up for the second goal three minutes later which ended with Iban Salvador guiding his shot home after brilliant interplay with Jose Machin inside the box.

Equatorial Guinea are fifth in Group H, seven points behind leaders Tunisia, having been handed two 3-0 defeats after Nsue appeared and scored in their first two qualifiers.

Amoura at the double for Algeria

Algeria moved back to the top of Group G, on goal difference ahead of Mozambique, following a 3-1 win against Botswana in a sweltering Francistown.

Amine Gouiri broke the deadlock just before half time with a header which home keeper Goitseone Phoko fumbled over the line, and two smart finishes after the break from Mohamed Amoura gave the North Africans their fourth win in five outings.

Guinea are five points behind Algeria after being held to a 0-0 draw by Somalia.

Visiting goalkeeper Abdirahman Mohamud Jama pulled off a string of saves in an inspired defensive display.

The East Africans almost won it late on through Yusuf Ahmed, but held on through six minutes of stoppage time to secure their first point.

Burkina Faso went second in Group A as former Aston Villa forward Bertrand Traore netted in their 4-1 win over Djibouti.

Josue Tiendrebeogo, Mohamed Zougrana and Lassina Traore also found the net for the Stallions, who lie five points adrift of Egypt.

Friday’s African World Cup qualifying results

Burkina Faso 4-1 Djibouti (Group A)

Ethiopia 0-2 Egypt (Group A)

DR Congo 1-0 South Sudan (Group B)

South Africa 2-0 Lesotho (Group C)

Rwanda 0-2 Nigeria (Group C)

Niger 1-2 Morocco (Group E)

Burundi 0-1 Ivory Coast (Group F)

Botswana 1-3 Algeria (Group G)

Guinea 0-0 Somalia (Group G)

Equatorial Guinea 2-0 Sao Tome e Principe (Group H)

Ghana 5-0 Chad (Group I)

There seems no stopping Liverpool or Mohamed Salah this season.

The Reds are 11 points clear of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League as they look to become champions for the 20th time.

Egypt forward Salah has been integral in that success and again played a starring role with a goal and an assist in Liverpool’s 2-0 win at reigning champions Manchester City on Sunday to continue his incredible form in 2024-25.

But is the 32-year-old on course for the best individual campaign since the Premier League era began in 1992?

We take a look at the stats to see how he compares to other great strikers and what records he could break.

More than a goalscorer

Salah has won the Golden Boot as the league’s top scorer three times (outright in 2017-18 and shared in 2018-19 and 2021-22) and is leading the race this season.

His best campaign featured 32 goals, but he could beat that in the next few months.

He has 25 goals in 27 games – six clear of Newcastle’s Alexander Isak and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, the player who won the award in the past two seasons.

Haaland’s 36 goals two seasons ago is a Premier League record, although no-one will probably ever pass Dixie Dean’s incredible 60 league goals for Everton in 1927-28.

Only Arsenal’s Thierry Henry has been top scorer in four seasons of the Premier League, while only Jimmy Greaves at Chelsea and Tottenham in the 1950s and 60s (six) and Derby County’s Steve Bloomer in the 1890s and 1900s (five) have been top more often in the English top flight.

In the ‘big five’ leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1), Salah is again top, four goals ahead of Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane and Atalanta’s Mateo Retegui and five clear of Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski.

But Salah is more than just a goalscorer.

He is well clear in assists too with 16 – six more than anyone else in the Premier League and five more than Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, who is next across Europe’s big five leagues.

Salah has 11 games to break the single-season Premier League assists record of 20 shared by Henry in 2002-03 and Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne in 2019-20.

When you combine goals with assists, Salah has 41 goal contributions. The Premier League record is 47 – shared by Blackburn’s Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole at Newcastle, although they did that in 42-match campaigns.

In a 38-game season, the best is 44 by Haaland two years ago (36 goals, eight assists) and Henry in 2002-03 (24 goals, 20 assists).

Since 2006-07 only four players in England, Spain, Italy, Germany or France have reached 50 goal contributions in a single season: Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo (three), Barcelona’s Luis Suarez (one) and Paris St-Germain’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic (one).

Messi’s best league total came in an incredible 2011-12 season with 66 goal contributions (50 goals and 16 assists).

Salah has scored and assisted a goal in 49 league matches in his career in Europe’s big five leagues.

Since Opta has recorded data (from 2006-07), only Messi (102) and Ronaldo (65) have scored and assisted more often.

Lethal home and away

Salah has scored in six league games in a row. If he gets a goal against Newcastle on Wednesday it would match his best run at Liverpool after scoring in seven consecutive matches earlier this season and also in 2021-22.

Jamie Vardy holds the record of scoring in 11 successive Premier League games.

Salah has four more games in which to set records for most Premier League goals away from home as well as most assists away from home.

He has 16 league goals on his travels, a figure matched only by Kevin Phillips at Sunderland in 1999-2000 and Harry Kane at Tottenham two seasons ago.

Salah has the joint most away Premier League assists in a season, level with Cesc Fabregas’ 11 that he set in his first campaign with Chelsea in 2014-15.

Salah has 182 Premier League goals and sits sixth overall. Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero is fifth with 184 and Cole fourth with 187, while Shearer is top with 260.

Asked on Sunday if he was playing better than ever, Salah told Sky Sports: “It is opinion. Maybe people prefer my first seasons, but I prefer now because winning the league, helping the young players, it is special.”

The big concern for Liverpool fans will be whether this is Salah’s last season at the club. He is out of contract this summer and talks about his future remain ongoing.

‘We’re talking Ballon d’Or now’

It is no surprise that Salah is being talked about as a potential winner of the Ballon d’Or, awarded to the best footballer in the world.

Liberia striker George Weah is the only African to win the award – in 1995 at AC Milan – while Salah came fifth in 2019 and 2022.

“Mo Salah is having a Messi and Ronaldo season,” former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports. “This is going to end up being the greatest season we’ve seen from an individual, I have no doubt about that.

“It’s not whether he will finish above those players in terms of [goal contribution] numbers. It’s how far he can go and can he set the bar so high in future no-one can ever get there again?

“We’re seeing something special. This is now an all-time season. When you talk about the Premier League, you put Thierry Henry on top, but for me Mo Salah is definitely second. If he signs a new contract that will be a fight to the finish.”

Daniel Sturridge, a former team-mate of Salah, said: “We’re talking Ballon d’Or now. We have to start putting him in that conversation.

“What Mo is doing season in, season out is ridiculous. It’s mind-blowing. When he came to the club nobody thought he would be close to a guy that scores 25 goals a season.

“His motivation is there and his professionalism. In the summer he comes back in unbelievable shape every single season. He wants to be the best and be recognised as the best in the world.

“I know from having conversations with him in the dressing room, he wants to be the best player in the Premier League and the best player in the world.”