Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah achieved an unprecedented Premier League feat in the Reds' 4-2 success over Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield.
The Reds bounced back from their recent below-par performances with a relentless hour of attacking against Ange Postecoglou's side, thereby prolonging the three-way title fight for at least another week.
Salah commenced the rout in the 16th minute, losing Emerson Royal at the back post to meet a Cody Gakpo delivery, and his header proved too hot for Guglielmo Vicario to keep out.
On the stroke of half time, the Egypt international then forced a save from Vicario, who spilled the rebound into the path of Andrew Robertson for a simple tap-in, and Jurgen Klopp's side were not content to declare at two.
After Harvey Elliott found the head of Gakpo for the Reds' third early in the second period, Salah then teed up the Englishman to fire a long-range rocket into the top corner, earning a slice of Premier League history in the process.
Mo Salah opens the scoring for Liverpool 🔴⚡ pic.twitter.com/U450ZsBUYB
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 5, 2024
Salah makes history and matches Wayne Rooney record
The 31-year-old had already hit double figures for the Premier League season before Sunday's game and now boasts 18 in the top flight, but his helper for Elliott marked his 10th assist of the 2023-24 campaign.
By providing the final pass for the Englishman, Salah became the first Premier League player to ever score at least 10 goals and provide at least 10 assists in three consecutive campaigns in the competition.
The former Chelsea man chalked up 19 goals and 12 assists last term, prior to which he found the back of the net 23 times - the joint-most with Son Heung-min - and set up 13 more during the 2021-22 season.
Salah only set up five goals in 2020-21, but he also hit double figures in both metrics in Liverpool's title-winning 2019-20 season (19 goals and 10 assists) and his debut 2017-18 campaign with Liverpool (32 goals and 10 assists).
Only Wayne Rooney has also scored 10 goals and provided 10 assists in five separate Premier League seasons, and Klopp talked up Salah's display in his post-match press conference.
Klopp lauds "exceptional" Salah after touchline row
© Reuters
The pair had been involved in a touchline spat during last weekend's 2-2 draw with West Ham United, after which Salah claimed that there would be "fire" if he opened up on the exchange with his manager.
However, the Reds boss insisted numerous times that the hatchet had been buried, which was further suggested to be the case when he reinstated Salah to the starting lineup for Sunday's game, and the Egyptian ran Emerson ragged throughout the match.
While lauding the "exceptional" Elliott, Klopp also reserved a word for Salah, saying: "Harvey is exceptional. [He is] still so young, so exceptional. He was, for a long time, one of our best players when he played right wing when Mo was injured or at the Africa Cup of Nations. He played exceptional.
"The right side, together with Mo – Mo was exceptional today, as well – Harvey and Trent [Alexander-Arnold] can play this role and decide better that he can stay wide as well because we are in the centre, footballing-wise, well set up."
Liverpool are mathematically still in the title race in third place ahead of their trip to Aston Villa on May 13, but they are five points off the top, and either one win from either Arsenal or Manchester City would eliminate them from contention.
Ben Knapton
