Liverpool: Jordan Henderson's clever tactic for Mo Salah penalty

Mohamed Salah added yet another Premier League goal to his burgeoning collection on Saturday afternoon.

The Liverpool star is practically nailed on to win a third Golden Boot in England’s top-flight, which would draw him level with Alan Shearer and Harry Kane, as he commands an eight-goal lead over Cristiano Ronaldo.

And while his latest strike at Brighton & Hove Albion wasn’t the type of blood-pumping, spine-tingling effort that Salah so often produces, it was nevertheless vital to Liverpool’s title challenge.

That’s because Salah was tasked with doubling the Reds’ lead at the Amex Stadium from the penalty spot after Luis Diaz had broken the deadlock earlier in the game despite being clattered by Robert Sanchez.

While Liverpool’s goalscorer in chief is undoubtedly one of the best penalty takers in the world, the importance of the spot-kick inevitability meant that there was pressure by the tonne loaded on his shoulders.

After all, two of the only three penalties that Salah has ever missed for Liverpool have come in the 2021/22 season with Mike Maignan and Kasper Schmeichel having both thwarted him from 12 yards.

So, even a Ballon d’Or contender like Salah would have been forgiven for having a few nervy moments before what eventually proved to be an emphatic strike down the middle that wrapped up the three points.

And the positive end result might well have been assisted by the actions of Jordan Henderson, who showed why he’s such a brilliant leader for Liverpool by protecting Salah before the spot-kick.

As highlighted by football psychology researcher Geir Jordet on Twitter, the Reds skipper took on the role of a ‘penalty bodyguard’ that was popularised by Cesar Azpilicueta during the FIFA Club World Cup final.

The