Mohamed Salah is the main man for Liverpool but they need more from him in this run in if they are to win the Premier League title. If it was not the defense that pressed Salah,then he was not at his best in the 0-0 draw against Manchester United.
Mohamed Salah has scored 17 goals in the Premier League this season. No player has scored more. But he was unable to add to that tally as Liverpool were held to a goalless draw by Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday and looked so far below his best that, with the game in the balance, Jurgen Klopp substituted him for Divock Origi in the 79th minute.
With Sadio Mane also struggling and Roberto Firmino going off early on, it was a difficult afternoon for Liverpool’s front three. “They are your big players and you need your big players in a game like this,” Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports. “Liverpool’s front three haven’t quite exploded yet and they are going to need them to if they are going to win the league.”
It feels strange to criticise the forwards when the team is top of the table and this was the first Premier League away game of the season in which Liverpool have failed to score. Nevertheless, after three draws in four games, there has been a dip. With the lead at the top now only one point, Salah and the rest will need to be at their best from now on.
That certainly didn’t happen on Sunday. Luke Shaw handled Salah so well that Gary Neville named the Manchester United left-back as his man of the match. “To play against Liverpool’s most threatening player, best player, the way that he has after a difficult first moment against him, he has just defended him really, really well,” said Neville.
As Neville pointed out, Salah’s threat was clear in the opening exchanges. He twice got to the edge of the six-yard box inside the first eight minutes of the match. But from that point onwards, Salah didn’t get within 15 yards of David de Gea’s net. He completed only one of three dribbles, his worst total and his worst completion rate in any away game this season.
In total, he lost possession with 15 of his 41 touches of the ball and it was a problem for Liverpool. The attack kept breaking down with him. “Every time the ball goes to Mo Salah he is losing the ball so Liverpool can’t really connect with different people,” Carragher said on co-commentary. “It keeps falling down and they are getting done on counter-attacks.”
Salah has yet to score in four games against Manchester United as a Liverpool player but his record against the top six has been underwhelming all season. His penalty in the 5-1 win over Arsenal in December is the only goal that he has scored in eight Premier League matches against the top six this season, having failed to find the net in all five away games.
With Tottenham and Chelsea yet to come to Anfield, there is still time for Salah to improve his record in big games. But then, they are all big games now. Liverpool have no room left for error. They need to find their best form and for that to happen they need their top scorer at his very best as well.