Mo Salah gives Liverpool 51st reason to ignore analytics as champions elect brush Man City aside

The analytics are screaming at Liverpool not to give Mohamed Salah an expensive new long-term contract, but we witnessed the 51st reason why they should ignore the data in Sunday’s comfortable win over Manchester City.

Salah’s contract demands are unknown to the public but it is obvious they are not in line with what Liverpool are willing to offer him. We can understand where the cold-blooded executives are coming from. He turns 33 in June, so the Reds are surely reluctant to give him more than two years, even if his physique defies his age and shows he can keep going at an elite level for another three or four years.

It is funny that the fact Salah is a specimen is the biggest reason we can’t decide what they should do. This is playing more of a part than his ridiculous statistics in 2024/25, which could feasibly take a dive when the Egyptian has a luxurious deal to sit on. Saying that, he doesn’t strike us as a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mesut Ozil or Eden Hazard.

Salah threw the data out of the window yet again with another message to the board in Liverpool’s 2-0 victory at Manchester City.

He made it 30 goals in all competitions with the opening goal at the Etihad, meaning he has reached that tally in five of his six seasons at the club. Not only that, but Salah assisted Dominik Szoboszlai for 2-0 in the first half, making it 42 times he has scored and assisted in the same Premier League match – a record he broke in December and has managed another five times since.

MORE ON MO SALAH
👉 Outrageous Mo Salah stats show why Liverpool legend is GOAT Premier League winger
👉 Who will win the 2025 Ballon d’Or? Salah now clear favourite in betting

It is a real case of analytics versus performances and the latter really should take precedence. When you combine his goals and assists this term, you get 51 reasons why Salah deserves a new contract, but it is not that simple. You can speculate all you want about what Salah is asking for and you can fully understand if Liverpool are refusing to give him £500,000 a week, let alone keeping his weekly wage at £350,000 for another three years. Salah will not accept a pay cut and Liverpool are unlikely to be cheeky enough to offer him one.

Then replacing him accordingly would be near impossible and potentially more expensive. Whoever comes in will not lead the Premier League in goals or assists, let alone both. They will, at least, have age on their side and sell-on value, two things over Salah.

Salah is the biggest difference between Liverpool and title rivals Arsenal and if Arne Slot’s side carry on as they have been going, they won’t be in a situation where they need him to stay to take them to the next level or win what they missed out on. Leaving on a high could be best for both parties but Salah playing in Saudi Arabia would be an almighty waste.

Going into Sunday’s match against Man City, it was about Salah’s bout with his Egypt team-mate Omar Marmoush with Erling Haaland ruled out with a knee injury. The Nordic robot made the bench against Real Madrid during the week but was not risked with the Champions League tie dead and buried; he was not fit enough to be named Pep Guardiola’s squad this time.

The ‘it’s still Man City’ narrative was alive and well as pundits and fans tried to convince themselves we might see a competitive game; we didn’t.

The star power City lacked Liverpool and Salah made up for in the blockbuster – yet ultimately anti-climatic – Premier League fixture of the weekend.

He is just a joke and continues to defy logic, age and more frustratingly, those bloody analytics we keep nattering on about. Both arguments are strong but at the end of the day, Salah has been the best player in the world this season and has 30 goals to go alongside 21 assists.

Those contributions are the biggest reason Liverpool are running away with the Premier League title and are now 11 points ahead of Arsenal, who absolutely chucked it at home to West Ham on Saturday.

Man City have been well below par this season and have been on the wrong end of some embarrassing results but the ease at which Liverpool won 2-0 at the Etihad was astonishing. They pressed efficiently from the first kick and missed two early chances after seizing on some poor playing out from City.

Salah’s opener came from a lovely corner routine, with no set-piece coach watching on from the technical area, which was refreshing. The second was a lovely left-footed finish from Szoboszlai, who scored and assisted as well on a fantastic afternoon.

Marmoush was City’s most dangerous player, though Jeremy Doku did take the mick out of Trent Alexander-Arnold, completing eight take-ons against him in the first half. Sure, take-ons are nice, but Liverpool will take the three points home and are the overwhelming favourites to win the Premier League. The fans know it as well, singing ‘we’re gonna win the league’ in the closing stages and after the full-time whistle.

It was just so, so easy and yet another monstrous performance from Salah – the best player in the Premier League and favourite for the Ballon d’Or. But analytics and moneyball nonsense will likely prevail as the Liverpool hierarchy decide what’s for the best.

READ NOW: Newcastle keep Treble hopes alive as baffling nine-team race makes up for awful Arsenal