Title: Liverpool’s Resurgence: Salah’s Return to Form and Elliott’s Midfield Brilliance
Liverpool’s recent victory over Tottenham Hotspur showcased the resurgence of key players, particularly Mo Salah, who has quietly been having another extraordinary season. Despite struggling since his return from injury, Salah’s performance against Tottenham marked his best showing in 2024 so far, underlining his undeniable impact on the game. With a goal and an assist, Salah now ranks fourth in terms of statistical performance among Liverpool attackers since 1992.
Salah’s recent goal drought, spanning eight matches without a goal from open play, resulted in him being dropped by Jurgen Klopp for the West Ham game. Prior to the weekend clash, Salah had only managed to score two Premier League goals from open play since New Year’s Day due to a combination of injury, AFCON participation, and poor form. Nevertheless, his resurgence against Tottenham demonstrates his ability to rise to the occasion.
According to data shared by Michael Reid on Twitter, Salah’s performance this season places him among the top performers in Liverpool’s history. With an impressive minutes-per-goal/assist ratio of 78, Salah’s 2023-24 season is second only to his record-breaking 2017-18 campaign. This speaks volumes about Salah’s consistency and contribution to the team.
In the match against Tottenham, Salah showcased his attacking prowess by having more touches in the opposition’s area than any other player, tying with Heung-Min Son at 12. His accuracy also improved, with four out of his five shots hitting the target—an area where he had previously struggled. Additionally, Salah created three chances, second only to Harvey Elliott, who produced five. Opta confirms that Salah is now the first player in Premier League history to score more than 10 goals and provide more than 10 assists in three consecutive seasons—a testament to his impact on Liverpool’s attack.
While Salah’s return to form was pivotal, the performance of Harvey Elliott in midfield cannot be overlooked. Often forced to play on the right wing during Salah’s absence, Elliott excelled when deployed in midfield against Tottenham. With a FotMob rating of 9.2 out of 10, he was influential throughout the game. Elliott completed the most passes (47) among Liverpool players and had the second-highest number of touches (86), indicating his growing influence on the team.
Although Elliott has only started nine times in the Premier League this season, his performances off the bench across all competitions have been consistently excellent. Data from DataMB reveals that Elliott ranks in the 97th percentile for progressive carries and the 99th percentile for key passes across Europe’s top five leagues. This places him among the top three percent and one percent of players for these metrics, respectively. Combining his exceptional technical skills with his relentless energy, Elliott is a player that Liverpool manager Arne Slot should consider integrating into the starting lineup.
In conclusion, Liverpool’s recent victory over Tottenham highlighted the return to form of key players, particularly Mo Salah, who has overcome a challenging period since his return from injury. Salah’s exceptional performance against Tottenham, combined with Harvey Elliott’s midfield brilliance, provides a promising outlook for Liverpool’s future matches. With Salah’s knack for goal-scoring and Elliott’s emerging talent in midfield, Liverpool’s attacking prowess seems poised for further success.