Look I know I beat this drum often but I just. I love Mohamed Salah. I really, truly do.
So roughly 20 minutes in to Liverpool’s away fixture at West Ham United, the game was pretty solidly working out in favor of the visitors. The Reds did well to control the ball and dictate the pace of play. It was only a matter of time before the goals came.
The opening goal emerged from what was truly a textbook counterattack. The platonic ideal of a counterattack, really. Sadio Mane launched the run, with Mohamed Salah on his near right and Roberto Firmino further out on the wing, with only one lowly West Ham defender to stop them. Mane laid off the ball just outside the box, springing Salah free and setting him up for a tantalizing shot on goal. Salah did not disappoint, slotting it past Joe Hart and giving Liverpool the 1-0 lead.