23 g/a on road in PL
©TM/IMAGO
There was late heartbreak for Liverpool in the Merseyside derby but it was another landmark occasion for Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian King has been one of Liverpool’s best ever signings and currently ranks as their third all-time top scorer with 238 goals. After Jürgen Klopp’s departure, Liverpool weren’t favourites to win the title but they look destined to lift the trophy this season and match Manchester United’s record of 20 English top-flight titles.
Salah has been instrumental to Liverpool’s title race with a ridiculous record of 36 goal contributions in 24 league games – the 32-year-old has 27 goals and 19 assists in 35 games in all competitions. But Salah’s assist and goal against Everton took him to 23 goal contributions in away league games this season, which represents a Premier League record. The Egyptian has stepped up majorly on the road and with Liverppol still facing six away league fixtures, Salah could feasibly break records held by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The most away goals and assists in a top five league season
When analysing the numbers for the most away goal contributions in a single season across top five leagues since 2000, Ronaldo and Messi dominate. The iconic duo were comfortably the best two players in the world for a decade and their attacking output was incredible. As the graphic below illustrates, Ronaldo’s 32 goal contributions for Real Madrid in away games during the 2014/15 LaLiga is a record.
Messi fell one short of that record during the 2012/13 season when he racked up 31 goal contributions for Barcelona in the Spanish top-flight. Ronaldo takes third spot but remarkably, Messi features six times in the top ten list in a clear sign of his greatness. Salah’s numbers this season for Liverpool ranks seventh and he’d need eight more goal contributions across his final six away games in the Premier League to match Ronaldo’s record. While the winger is on track to eclipse Ronaldo’s record, Liverpool face some tough away games in the run-in, including Aston Villa, Manchester City and Chelsea.
Which player has the most away goal contributions since 2000?
Unsurprisingly, Messi has registered the most away goal contributions of any player in a top five league since 2000. The Barcelona icon notched an incredible 343 goals and assists on the road in Spain and France – 87 higher than Ronaldo. Legendary strikers Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema complete the top five. As the graphic below illustrates, Salah makes the top ten list with 146 and could feasibly reach the top five – if he extends his stay at Liverpool beyond this season.
