Mohamed Salah has declared he will never take representing Liverpool ‘for granted’ following his historic goal against Aston Villa on Saturday night.
The Egyptian forward has endured a difficult start to the season, mirroring the Reds’ recent poor performance. The Merseysiders defeated Aston Villa 2-0 at Anfield, ending a four-game losing streak in the Premier League.
Salah found the back of the net just before the interval, taking advantage of a wayward pass from Emiliano Martinez to slot the ball into an almost unguarded goal.
With this move, he equaled Wayne Rooney’s record for most Premier League goals for a single club. He also equaled Roger Hunt and Ian Rush in scoring over 250 goals for the Reds.
During this campaign, Salah looked noticeably frustrated on the field. At times, he appeared to struggle to adapt to the contracts of Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak.
Nevertheless, after contributing his 277th goal in the top flight, he insisted he remains happy with his time on Merseyside. When told after the game that he had tied Hunt and Rush’s record, he replied: “(I feel) great.
“It’s a great feeling to score goals and win trophies for such a big club. I don’t take it for granted. I’m very happy and very proud.”
Ryan Gravenbirch’s vital second goal secured Liverpool’s victory over Unai Emery’s side, lifting the Reds into third place in the Premier League, seven points behind leaders Arsenal. The team now faces an important Champions League showdown with Real Madrid and an important away game against Manchester City in the Premier League.
When asked about the significance of the win against Villa, he answered: “Yes, it was very important. We lost a few times in the Premier League and the Champions League, but now we are starting to bounce back. It was a good win. We have very important games ahead of us against Real Madrid and Manchester City. It was a very important win for us.”
When asked about his personal achievements, which included five goals and three assists in 14 appearances, Salah replied: “No, I said that at the beginning. But I know football and I’ve been playing it for many years.”
“This season is a very volatile season for us because we have some new players who signed very good contracts but they need time to adapt to the team. And we lost some good players. We just need time to adapt and learn each other’s game. I think we will be okay.”
