Mohamed Salah became the fastest Liverpool player ever to reach 100 league goals on Saturday as he temporarily put his side ahead against Brentford in an eventual 3-3 draw.
The Egypt international has become a firm favourite at Anfield since arriving at the club from Roma in 2017, and he came through once more to help his side out of a tight situation, with a spot at the top of the Premier League on the line.
However, newly promoted Brentford spoiled the landmark finish with an 82-minute goal from Yoane Wissa to level the score.
Watch Salah’s 100th Premier League goal for Liverpool (US & UK only)
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Mo Salah puts Liverpool in front and becomes the fastest player to reach 100 top-flight goals for the club, in 151 games! 🔴
📺 Watch #BRELIV live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event pic.twitter.com/xAr0QTCxk0
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 25, 2021
Centurion
Salah went into Saturday’s game with the chance to reclaim his position at the top of the Premier League scoring charts, after being overtaken earlier in the day by Jamie Vardy and Michail Antonio.
His goal finally arrived in the 54th minute, after Diogo Jota had earlier cancelled out an early strike from the hosts by way of Ethan Pinnock.
It brought him up to five for the season in the league so far, and also secured him a piece of Liverpool history.
100 – Mohamed Salah has scored 100 goals in 151 Premier League games for Liverpool, reaching 100 top-flight goals in fewer appearances than any other player in Liverpool’s history. Iconic. pic.twitter.com/6KMSbJlSKo
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 25, 2021
His century arrived in just 151 games, quicker than any other Reds player.
Club legend Roger Hunt was the previous record-holder, having made 100 in 152 appearances, while fellow sharp-shooter Ian Rush needed 168 outings to reach the mark.
He is also only one of four Liverpool players to have netted 100 times in the Premier League, alongside Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler and Steven Gerrard, and also entered the club’s list of top 10 all-time scorers with this latest strike.
Only six men, meanwhile, have reached their century in the Premier League under just one manager: Salah, who has played under Jurgen Klopp for his entire Reds career; Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United trio Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes; and Thierry Henry, who hit 175 with Arsene Wenger on the bench.
Liverpool react to milestone finish
“Incredible moment,” said captain Jordan Henderson to Sky Sports after the match. “He’s been incredible ever since he came to the club. He’s a fantastic lad.”
Klopp, meanwhile, lamented Salah’s missed chance shortly after the forward had put the Reds ahead 2-1. It came from a similar position as his goal, and would have given Liverpool an important cushion.
“I’m sure Mo sees it the same way, he would love to have 101 today,” Klopp said.
Klopp’s Salah praise
Despite his comments in the immediate aftermath of the draw, Klopp did take the opportunity to praise the Egyptian earlier in the week, comparing him favourably with Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski.
“Mo Salah is absolutely up there with him – there’s no doubt about that.
“Mo is a goal machine, definitely. His professionalism is absolutely second to none. He does absolutely everything to be always fit, to stay always on track – first in, last out, all these kind of things. So, that’s Mo,” Klopp said to reporters.
“On top of that, apart from his technical skill set and all these kind of things, he’s desperate to score goals and that’s helpful as well. That’s exactly the same like it is with Lewi, and that’s good, very helpful.
“Whatever you do on the pitch, whatever you create, whatever you initiate, you need somebody who brings the ball over the line or in the back of the net – and Mo is absolutely there with the best I ever saw, he knows that. The numbers he has are insane.
“I’m obviously blessed to work with some good players during my career.”
