When Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool is in action, it’s usually the main event in the Premier League, but that wasn’t the case on Wednesday night.
A quarter of an hour after the Reds kicked off against West Ham at the London Stadium, Manchester City’s potential title decider against Arsenal got underway.
Manchester City would run out convincing 4-1 winners, led by a two-goal Kevin de Bruyne masterclass, to close to within two points of the leader, having played two games fewer. Pep Guardiola’s side must now be considered the overwhelming favorite to win the title.
But one of the sub-plots at the Etihad centered around Erling Haaland, who was gunning for the Premier League’s single-season goal-scoring record held by Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.
After a missing a few of gilt-edged chances, Haaland finally made history by sweeping home Phil Foden’s lay-off via a touch from Aaron Ramsdale.
He’s now scored 33 goals in just 29 matches, and alarmingly, still has seven more games to extend his new benchmark.
The table below offers a look at Haaland’s season beyond that raw goal tally, in comparison to Salah’s 17/18 campaign.
| Metric | EH 22/23 | MS 17/18 |
| xG per 90* | 0.91 | 0.75 |
| xG differential per 90 | +0.37 | +0.24 |
| Shots per 90 | 3.74 | 4.4 |
| Assists per 90 | 0.27 | 0.31 |
| Total penalties scored | 6 | 1 |
*xG is defined in our glossary
Intriguingly, it was Salah who actually averaged more attempts per game, even though he was playing out wide rather than through the middle.
Still, Haaland’s likelihood of scoring is greater based on the quality of his chances his teammates are creating.
Unsurprisingly given his reputation, the Norwegian has been the more lethal finisher, though that’s far from a knock on Salah, who was of course devastating in front of goal too.
The Liverpool man has a slight edge when it comes to assists but the penalty differential is more impressive. Haaland has needed six to break the record, whereas Salah only converted one.
And that points us towards one Salah record the Manchester City striker has yet to break. The Egyptian is still number one in English football history for most non-penalty goals (NPG) and assists in a single campaign with 59.
You might think that we’re just trying to find technicalities to keep Salah on his pedestal, but NPG is an established metric among the analytical community, because open-play goals are seen as a better reflection of a player’s performance than penalties.
Haaland still needs nine more NPG/assists to match Salah’s record, and he may well get there with seven league games, an FA Cup final and, depending on how Manchester City fares against Real Madrid, three Champions League matches still to come.
But the fact he’s still a way away emphasizes just how impressive the Liverpool star’s 2017/18 feats were, and that’s worth remembering after his headline record was beaten.
Salah always puts the team first, but also takes a key interest in records and places a lot of stock in individual accolades.
Klopp offered a reminder of this prior to Liverpool’s clash with Nottingham Forest, which saw the forward successfully look to match Robbie Fowler’s all-time haul for the Reds.
“I know that Mo likes these kind of things and will fill his tank definitely for the game,” he said (via LFC).
And so, even though Liverpool on Wednesday, it will have pained Salah to hear after the game that Haaland had dislodged him.
However, history suggests he’ll channel this into motivation.
In 2020/21, when Spurs striker Harry Kane beat him to the Golden Boot by a single goal, it ignited a fire him.
“That’s what pushed me to be who I am this year,” Salah said (via Goal) after reclaiming the top scorer mantle, landing the playmaker award and clinching the PFA Player of the Year prize.
“I was so motivated, I was working like crazy in the summer.”
If we’re being realistic, Salah won’t be able to win back his Premier League scoring record from Haaland. Indeed, the 22-year-old may reach a number only he is capable of matching, and his rival at Anfield hasn’t managed to get above 23 in the past five years.
But more broadly, he’ll be desperate to re-establish himself as the face of the league after an all-conquering debut season for a new arrival.
As if he needed it in the midst of Liverpool’s woes, Salah now has even more motivation heading into next season.
( Source: Liverpool.com )
