Wait goes on as Salah bids to break Premier League records

The hold to break nan Premier League's extremity engagement grounds goes connected for Mohamed Salah.

But connected his 400th Liverpool appearance, he really should person been celebrating equalling nan tally.

Quite really nan Egyptian side-footed Cody Gakpo's debased transverse wide of an quiet nett from conscionable yards retired successful Monday's defeat astatine Brighton, no-one really knows. His ain wry grin suggested his ain disbelief.

Two months ago, he looked group to destruct Premier League records and nutrient nan top attacking individual play successful nan competition's history.

Salah's double against Southampton connected 8 March took him to 27 goals and 17 assists successful 29 matches, conscionable 3 extremity involvements short of nan Premier League grounds of 47, held jointly by Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole.

He besides looked definite to hit nan grounds of 20 Premier League assists successful a season, jointly held by Arsenal's Thierry Henry and Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne.

Since then, Salah has recorded conscionable 1 extremity and 1 assistance successful 8 matches, leaving him still 1 short of nan extremity engagement grounds and 2 short of nan assistance record.

After Monday's missed sitter, Liverpool leader Arne Slot said: "The first thought that goes done my caput erstwhile I spot nan shot moving towards Mo, I'm like, 'It's rather a large chance, this could lead to a goal', because that's what Mo usually does.

"He's been passim this play almost inhuman. But location were moments successful nan play wherever he was human, truthful it's not nan first clip that he's not scoring for 1 aliases 2 games successful a row.

"But nan bully point for america is this hardly ever happens and, if it happens, you tin beryllium judge that he will people successful nan 3rd crippled aliases nan 4th game."

After helping Liverpool unafraid nan Premier League title connected 27 April, Salah said: "Hopefully I'm going to break [the extremity involvements record] soon. It's thing pushing maine guardant to conscionable support going and support moving hard."

With 1 crippled to spell - nan sojourn of Crystal Palace to Anfield - you still would not stake against him.

Salah, who captained Liverpool for nan first clip successful nan nonaccomplishment astatine Brighton, looks definite to lucifer 1 grounds by nan extremity of nan play - pinch nan Golden Boot heading his measurement erstwhile more.

The 32-year-old leads nan extremity rankings pinch 28 this season, 5 up of Newcastle's Alexander Isak pinch conscionable 1 lucifer to play.

So barring thing ridiculous successful nan last crippled of nan campaign, Salah will triumph nan Premier League Golden Boot for a 4th time, equalling Henry's record.

He will besides person an oculus connected winning nan European Golden Shoe, an grant fixed to nan starring convention scorer successful Europe.

Sporting's Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres presently tops those standings pinch 39 goals but, pinch nan Portuguese convention play now over, each he tin do is watch and wait.

Salah needs 2 goals successful nan last crippled of nan run against Palace to overtake him, while Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe is conscionable 1 extremity distant from Gyokeres, besides pinch 1 lucifer remaining.

While Salah (28 goals) and Mbappe (29 goals) are measurement short of nan erstwhile Coventry striker's tally, they tin spell past his points full acknowledgment to nan Golden Shoe's scoring system.

It's not decided simply by which subordinate scores nan astir goals; nan grant uses a points-based strategy that considers nan spot of nan convention successful which a subordinate competes.

Created successful nan 1967-68 season, nan Golden Shoe was antecedently awarded to nan apical scorer successful immoderate European league.

However, successful 1997 nan rules were changed to usage a ranking format that favours players successful nan higher floor plan leagues.

Since joining Liverpool from Roma for £34m successful 2017, Salah has made 354 extremity contributions successful 400 nine appearances - 244 goals and 110 assists.

He has already beaten nan grounds for extremity involvements successful a 38-game season, passing Erling Haaland's champion of 44 2 years agone (36 goals, 8 assists) and Henry's 44 successful 2002-03 (24 goals, 20 assists).

Since 2006-07, only 4 players successful England, Spain, Italy, Germany aliases France person reached 50 extremity contributions successful a azygous season: Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo (three times each), Barcelona's Luis Suarez (once) and Paris St-Germain's Zlatan Ibrahimovic (once).

Messi's champion convention full came successful an unthinkable 2011-12 play pinch 66 extremity contributions - 50 goals and 16 assists.

Salah has some scored and assisted a extremity successful 49 convention matches successful his profession successful Europe's large 5 leagues.

Since Opta has recorded information (from 2006-07), only Messi (102) and Ronaldo (65) person scored and assisted successful nan aforesaid crippled much often.