Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah is better at penalty kicks than you might think. He stepped up again as the Reds beat Everton 2-0 at Anfield on Saturday.
Mohamed Salah didn’t have his best performance for Liverpool against Everton but was sent off after scoring two assists. He scored a goal in the match and received the Man of the Match award.
As Jurgen Klopp said at the final whistle, that is the impact he will have on Liverpool, even if it is not the best. It was Salah who applied the pressure to break the deadlock after Michael Keane’s cross to Luis Diaz. The Egyptian confidently scored from 12 meters, dispelling once again the myth that he is not a capable penalty taker.
There were some calls for Nunes to take the ball off at Anfield, probably from those who saw his late strike under pressure from Uruguay, but thought Salah’s record wasn’t very good. But in reality, things are not so clear.Salah has previously admitted to Steven Gerrard that he “hates” penalties and has recently missed two in a row, but his tally now stands at 35 career goals and eight penalties (excluding noisy tackles). In percentage terms, this is slightly higher than the 81% success rate. Nunes didn’t miss a beat (13 of his 13 points), but the forward did far less than Salah.
The Uruguayan’s time at Anfield could come when Salah is absent (as was the case with LASK in the Europa League a few weeks ago) or when he leaves. But for now, there’s no need to absolve Salah of his obligations if he doesn’t lose faith. Salah’s suspension will irritate him but also increase the pressure on his replacement.
