November 2024 could turn out to be a season-defining month for Liverpool as they strengthened their hold at the top of both the Premier League and Uefa Champions League table.
It could also turn out to be a career-defining month for Mohamed Salah that sets up success for this season at Liverpool and whether there will be more seasons at Anfield to come.
At the start of November, Liverpool were a point behind the leaders on the Premier League table. On the last day of the month, they had a six-point lead and were about to increase it.
In the league, Liverpool seven goals in November and five of them either came from a goal or an assist from the “Egyptian King”.
While the likes of Manchester City and Erling Haaland have been falling, Liverpool and Mohamed Salah have been soaring.
CLASSIC SALAH
The first game of the month which took Liverpool to the top of the table was at home against Brighton. There were nerves at Anfield when the Reds were behind at halftime, but they equalised through Cody Gakpo before Salah added the winning touch.
As Liverpool counter-attacked, Salah received the ball at pace wide on the right, cut inside the defender and smashed it with his left foot into the top corner in front of the Kop.
If you were to describe the most typical Mohamed Salah goal, it would be exactly that.
Next up for Liverpool was a midweek Uefa Champions League assignment hosting German champions Bayer Leverkusen. Salah didn’t get on the scoresheet himself in a 4-0 victory, but made his mark with two great assists.
SCORER AND PROVIDER
The first was a classic winger’s cross from the right setting up a Gakpo header. The other was a looping ball across into the path of Luis Diaz.
In what’s become a recurring theme throughout the season, Salah’s ability to provide has been just as devastating as his ability to score.
It was then back to league action that weekend with another home game against Aston Villa in a 2-0 win where Salah showed his worth as a finisher and as a provider.
His assist in the first half was somewhat inadvertent as he was brought down by a defender while dribbling forward which led to the ball rolling to Darwin Nunez in space.
His goal in the second half was clinical as he pounced on a defensive mistake on the halfway line and sprinted towards goal before a composed finish.
After an international break, Liverpool travelled to Southampton for a game that was far from straightforward against the newly-promoted side.
CHANGING THE NARRATIVE
Dropping points was looking probable when they were 2-1 down with 25 minutes to play, but all it took was two calm Salah touches that changed the narrative of the game completely.
The first came when he sprinted onto an over-the-top ball to beat the offside trap and calmly poke it past the advancing goalkeeper. The winning touch came from the penalty spot with a hard, confident finish high into the corner.
That brought up Salah’s tenth Premier League goal of the season as his quest for a record-equalling fourth Golden Boot started to gain some serious momentum.
The month ended with a classic clash against Real Madrid in a repeat of two Uefa Champions League final that Salah played in. Despite an extremely rare missed penalty from him, he played his part in a dramatic 2-0 win as Liverpool maintained their 100 per cent record in the new-look league phase.
With the much-publicised contract talks that has been ongoing throughout this period, the 32-year-old has done all he can to strengthen his position.
It’s looking more and more likely that Salah will help Liverpool win silverware next season and he could well have proved that he provides their best chance of winning more in the next couple of seasons to come.
For many fans, the equation looks simple. Mo’ money, mo’ goals. For himself as well as others.