Mohammed Salah Equals EPL Season Goal Tally As Liverpool Suffers Major Blow In Top4 Race
Mohamed Salah netted his 31st Premier League goal in Liverpool 's 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion on Saturday afternoon to equal the scoring record in a 38-game season.
The Egyptian forward moved level with Cristiano Ronaldo , Alan Shearer and Luis Suarez by adding to Danny Ings 's early opener at The Hawthorns, putting his side two in front.
Liverpool failed to hold on to their comfortable lead, though, as goals in the final 11 minutes from Jake Livermore and Salomon Rondon saw the spirited hosts snatch a draw.
The Reds are now three points behind Manchester United in second after playing a game more, while Albion are still eight points adrift of safety and could be relegated as early as tomorrow if results go against them.
Ings's long wait for a goal, spanning 930 days, came to an end with just four minutes on the clock as he drilled home from close range following some good work from Sadio Mane.
Seeking the goal that would take him level with Suarez's personal Liverpool goalscoring record in a single Prem campaign, Salah drifted past international teammate Ahmed Hegazi before firing over the crossbar.
The half's next big chance would fall the way of Ings, who could not lift the ball over Ben Foster after it fell nicely into his path late in the first half.
Albion were far from out of the contest, however, and perhaps boosted by their shock 1-0 win at Manchester United last weekend they gave a good account of themselves in-between Ings's opener and missed chance.
Matty Phillips tested Loris Karius with a weak attempt, and the goalkeeper was almost at fault soon after as he raced out to collect a corner but got nowhere near it, only for the ball to sail over the head of Hegazi.
Fresh on the back of his matchwinner at Old Trafford, Jay Rodriguez came within inches of connecting with James McClean's first-time cross, which flashed right across the line.
Liverpool had a strong penalty appeal rejected almost immediately after the half-time restart, with Craig Dawson stepping across Ings to halt the striker's run.
An off-the-ball incident just short of the hour mark saw Hegazi seemingly punch Ings in the stomach when both players were on the floor, which may lead to retrospective action from the Football Association.
Jurgen Klopp took off Ings and Mane with a little over a quarter of the match left to play, surprisingly electing to keep Salah on the field just three days before the Champions League semi-final showdown with Roma.
That decision would prove a good one, as Salah took substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 's pass into his path and lifted it over Foster to hit 41 goals for the campaign in all competitions.
Albion got a goal their performance deserved when Livermore scrambled the ball over the line from a corner, and a second followed soon after through Rondon's header.
A dangerous Chris Brunt delivery from the dead-ball situation was guided past Karius and into the back of the net, but a point will unlikely be enough for the Baggies, who need Crystal Palace and Swansea City to lose this weekend if they are to avoid the drop.
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