Mohamed Salah admits pressure is on Liverpool to see job through

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 22 February 2019

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah admits that this campaign will only be enjoyable if his side hold off Manchester City and lift a first Premier League title.

Mohamed Salah has admitted that he can 'feel the pressure' that comes with being Premier League title favourites, but insists that Manchester City will be feeling the same emotions as Liverpool's players.

The Reds can reclaim top spot from the champions this weekend if they win their game in hand against arch-rivals Manchester United.

A point from their toughest remaining fixture will be enough for Jurgen Klopp's men to overtake City outright at the summit, leaving them as the choice of many to win a first top-flight crown since 1990.

Salah concedes that finishing second to the Citizens would be a disappointment, but he is ready for what could be a pivotal week in the title run-in, which also includes matches against Watford and Everton.

"You can feel [the pressure] because you are still a human being," he told Sky Sports News. "For me it is not a big deal if I win a game now or three weeks ago. I want to win each game, but for myself I said that we are playing for the Premier League, so there is pressure.

"Also there is pressure for Man City. I said in November that there is pressure and it will be there until the end of the season, because when you play for the Premier League you have to accept that there is pressure. When you go home you can take it with you, but it can help you to work harder and focus on your game.

"To enjoy it is not enough, from my side. At the end of the day you have a target in your mind, you have a dream, you want to win the Premier League. I even said that two years ago when I came - it is a dream to win the Premier League.

"It is a very big week for us. And if we win three games and are top of the table, that is huge for us. When you have three games in a week or ten days, you just need to win, win, win, then after that you have time to think. Even when we are not top of the league, I know how much United want to win against Liverpool and Everton the same. For me it is not a big deal. We just need to do what we have been doing for the last couple of months."

Salah needs one goal at Old Trafford on Sunday to reach 50 in a Liverpool shirt, making him the fastest player to hit that milestone in the club's history.