Mohamed Salah happy to chase history with Liverpool as contract negotiations wait

DUBAI: For fans of Egypt and Liverpool it is hard to know which sight was better on Tuesday. Was it Mohamed Salah scoring two fine goals in a memorable 4-0 dismantling of Manchester United in front of 50,000 delighted fans at Anfield — a win that put the hosts back on top of the English Premier League — or how happy he looked after the game as he stood next to Thiago Alcantara, another impressive performer on the night? “You wait until the next one,” said a smiling Salah to the Spanish midfielder as they were interviewed on television, referring to Sunday’s Merseyside Derby against Everton. “You’ve never played a derby here, so you wait for the next one.

It’s going to be much more fun.” It was a revealing and familiar moment. People in many walks of life and careers have told junior colleagues that what they had just experienced — a busy day working in a restaurant, shop or office — may have been something special but that they had seen nothing yet. The 29-year-old looked like a proud, happy employee of Liverpool Football Club.

Part of that was surely due to the fact that he scored. Before the visit of United, the Egyptian had not found the net in open play since February. “We’ve spoken before about all the physical demands he has faced in the last few months, so it’s completely normal,” Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said at the start of the week.

“It’s only a question of time when he will score as well.” The German was right, as was Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. “The levels he gets himself to, he’s kind of a victim of his own success,” the England star said. “He’s still top goalscorer, he’s one behind me in terms of assists and people are saying he’s having a bad run of form? He’s nearly top goalscorer in