The Big Picture

Mo Salah's departure from Liverpool feels inevitable now. With Steven Gerrard publicly weighing in on his replacement in recent Mirror Football reports, it's time to measure the blast radius of his Anfield career.

He broke records. He broke the will of opposing defenses for the better part of a decade. These are the ten moments that defined the Egyptian King's reign.

10. The Alisson Assist (Man United, 2020)

Liverpool were closing in on the title, leading 1-0 in stoppage time as United pushed hard for an equalizer. Alisson Becker caught a late corner, saw Salah sprinting into the frozen January air, and launched a perfectly weighted volley downfield.

Salah held off the frantic pursuit of Daniel James, slotted the ball under David de Gea, and immediately ripped his shirt off. The strike served as the exact trigger for Anfield to finally sing, "We're gonna win the league." The sheer inevitability of his run encapsulated that entire domestic campaign, forever immortalized by Alisson sliding on his knees to join the celebration.

9. The Tottenham Solo Run (2018)

It was his debut season, and the narrative was already building. The game was tied 1-1 in the 91st minute at Anfield when Salah picked up the ball inside the penalty area, completely surrounded by three Spurs defenders.

He danced through Dele Alli, Ben Davies, and Jan Vertonghen in the space of a phone booth, keeping the ball glued to his left foot before lifting it over Hugo Lloris. He proved his close control rivaled his raw pace. The match ended 2-2 after a controversial late penalty, but Salah's genius was the only thing anyone talked about.

8. Breaking the 38-Game Record (Brighton, 2018)

Alan Shearer, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Luis Suarez all hit 31 goals in a 38-game Premier League season. Salah arrived from Roma as a supposed Chelsea reject and completely obliterated that benchmark.

Against Brighton on the final day, he needed one goal to set a new record and got it in the 26th minute via a trademark left-footed sweep. That 32-goal haul fundamentally changed how wingers were evaluated in English football, turning the wide forward into the primary striker. He finished that season with 44 goals in all competitions, redefining what a wide player could achieve.

7. The Champions League Final Penalty (Tottenham, 2019)

A year after the brutal Sergio Ramos judo throw in Kyiv ended his final in tears, Salah stood over a penalty in Madrid in the second minute. The pressure was suffocating. Miss, and the ghosts of 2018 haunt him forever.

He ignored the mind games and hammered a violent strike straight down the middle past Lloris. It lacked the aesthetic beauty of his long-range screamers, but it delivered total catharsis. The goal exorcised the demons of the previous year and set Liverpool on the path to their sixth European cup, earning a higher spot than purely technical strikes for its sheer emotional weight.

6. The Chelsea Thunderbastard (2019)

Liverpool were locked in a titanic title race with Manchester City, margin for error entirely erased. Chelsea came to Anfield in April, the exact same fixture that derailed the infamous 2014 title bid.

Salah picked up the ball wide on the right, drifted inside Emerson Palmieri, and unleashed an absolute rocket from 25 yards directly into the top far corner. Kepa Arrizabalaga was beaten before he even moved his feet. The yoga tree pose celebration was a moment of total zen in the middle of a chaotic, nerve-shredding title fight.

5. The Napoli Lifeline (2018)

Liverpool needed a 1-0 win or a victory by two clear goals against Napoli on the final matchday to escape their Champions League group. The atmosphere was tight and anxious until the 34th minute.

Salah completely fooled Kalidou Koulibaly—then widely considered one of the best center-backs in Europe—with a brutal drop of the shoulder. He squeezed the ball through David Ospina's legs from an impossibly tight angle. This ranks above his spectacular league goals simply due to the stakes. Without that goal, the miracle of Madrid never happens, making it the most consequential group stage goal in the club's modern history.

4. The Roma Masterclass (2018)

Playing a Champions League semi-final against the club that just sold you is a heavy narrative burden. Salah ignored the pressure and scored two completely different, equally devastating goals in the first half at Anfield.

The first was a curling effort into the top corner that kissed the crossbar on its way in. The second was a delicate, mocking dink over Alisson Becker after a gut-busting run through the center. He refused to celebrate out of respect, raising his hands in apology while single-handedly destroying the Roma defense.

3. The Man City Solo Goal (2021)

The 2-2 draw at Anfield in October 2021 featured arguably the highest level of football ever played in the Premier League. Salah provided the defining moment of the season.

He received the ball with his back to goal on the right flank, surrounded by Joao Cancelo, Bernardo Silva, and Phil Foden. He rolled them all, sat Aymeric Laporte down violently with a cutback inside the box, and smashed it past Ederson with his weaker right foot. Even Pep Guardiola could only sit on the bench, scratching his head in disbelief at a goal created out of absolute nothing.

2. The Old Trafford Hat-Trick (2021)

Going to your fiercest rivals and scoring a hat-trick is the stuff of childhood fan fiction. Salah actually did it in a historic 5-0 demolition. His movement was so sharp it made Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw look like training cones in a drill they didn't understand.

He completed his hat-trick in the 50th minute, coolly finishing past David de Gea with the outside of his left boot. Salah acted as the chief executioner, ruthless, precise, and entirely lacking in empathy for the suffering of the home crowd. It edges out his individual brilliance against City purely for the historical humiliation it inflicted on Liverpool's biggest rivals.

1. The Champions League Quarter-Final vs Man City (2018)

City were supposed to roll over Liverpool as they marched toward a 100-point domestic season. But Anfield under the lights in Europe operates on different physics.

In the 12th minute, Salah started a counter-attack from his own half, eventually pouncing on a frantic scramble inside the City box. He took a single touch, assessed the chaos, and lashed it past Ederson before standing on the advertising hoardings like a deity. While the Old Trafford hat-trick was more personally dominant, this strike lands at number one because it broke City's aura. It proved Liverpool could bleed them, setting the foundation for the entire Klopp-Guardiola rivalry that defined the era.

The Critical View: The 2022 Final

For all the heroics, Salah’s relentless drive is also his fatal flaw. In the 2022 Champions League final against Real Madrid, his tunnel vision cost Liverpool dearly.

He took nine shots, increasingly forcing the issue as Thibaut Courtois swallowed every effort. He played the occasion, not the game, ignoring better-placed teammates in a desperate bid to avenge his 2018 shoulder injury. It was a harsh reminder that his single-minded pursuit of goals can occasionally sabotage the collective effort when the margins are tightest.

Honorable Mentions

  • The Puskas-winning strike against Everton in the snow (2017).
  • The rapid-fire hat-trick against Rangers off the bench (2022).
  • The stoppage-time winner against Aston Villa to keep the title charge alive (2019).