“His impact has been phenomenal" - Liverpool legend heaps praises on Mohamed Salah after Reds star scored landmark goal in Crystal Palace win
Liverpool top scorer Ian Rush has waxed lyrical about attacker Mohamed Salah who netted his 200th Reds goal on Saturday (December 9).
In the Premier League clash at Crystal Palace, Jurgen Klopp's side fell behind in the 57th minute following Jean-Philippe Mateta's penalty. The Reds rallied, though, with Salah bagging his landmark strike 19 minutes later.
Klopp's side then claimed all three points in the first minute of stoppage time, with Salah setting up Harvey Elliott for the winner. Rush - who's the Reds' all-time top scorer with 346 strikes - said about the Egyptian (via the club's website);
“It’s a huge achievement in itself to get to 200 goals. Not many do that, so first things first, congratulations on that! His impact has been phenomenal, and he’s not only a quality footballer, but a fantastic role model for people in different parts of the world.
"In Egypt, he’s a god, and he’s given boys and girls there the belief that they can go on and be a professional footballer. That’s the sort of person he is.”
Hailing Salah's versatility, Rush added:
“When he came, he was scoring goals for fun. Now he’s scoring goals for fun and making them for fun! His assists are just as important as his goals now, which shows how much of an all-round player he has become.”
The win sent Klopp's side top of the pile after 16 games, a point clear of Arsenal, who lost 1-0 at Aston Villa.
How has Mohamed Salah fared at Liverpool?
Mohamed Salah has been a performer-par-excellence since arriving at Liverpool from AS Roma in the summer of 2017.
In 327 appearances across competitions, the 31-year-old has notched up 200 goals and 87 assists. Salah is 14 clear of club legend Steven Gerrard, who's sixth in the list. Rush leads the pile, ahead of Roger Hunt (285), Gordon Hodgson (281) and Billy Liddell (228).
Having made a whirlwind start to his first full season at Anfield, striking 44 times across competitions, Salah hasn't hit the same heights since then. However, he has scored at least 23 times in his next five full seasons, including at least 30 in his last three.
Salah has 14 goals and eight assists in 22 games across competitions for the Premier League leaders this season.