Beth LindopJan 21, 2025, 07:00 PM ET
LIVERPOOL, England -- It took Mohamed Salah just 34 minutes to weigh in on a debate that had been raging for days in the build-up to Liverpool's UEFA Champions League clash with Lille.
After the Egyptian's teammate Curtis Jones, during a grilling by former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, admitted that he believed Chelsea legend Eden Hazard to be the superior footballer, Salah's online critics wasted no time holding those comments up as vindication.
"It's a talk I've had with Mo and all the lads," Jones told TNT Sports. "As a footballer, is he better than Mo? In my opinion, yes. But who would you rather have in your team?"
Certainly, Jones left the watching world in no doubt about which of the forwards he would rather share a pitch with on Tuesday night, celebrating feverishly with Salah after teeing him up to score the opener in a 2-1 win which guaranteed Liverpool will progress automatically to the last 16 of the Champions League.
Salah's goal -- an exquisite finish after a lovely through-ball from Jones -- was a rare moment of quality in a first half which took some time to spark into life.
The Lille fans arrived at Anfield in fine voice, whirling scarves and setting off flares in the away end as their team prepared to take on the Premier League leaders. Bruno Genesio's side were unbeaten in 21 games ahead of their clash with Liverpool, and it was easy to see why as they frustrated their hosts in the opening exchanges on Merseyside.
But few teams in world football can suppress Salah at the moment, and so it proved when the Egyptian tucked the ball past Lucas Chevalier to register his 50th European goal for Liverpool. It was yet another milestone in a season that has been littered with them for the 32-year-old, who marked the achievement by perching on the advertising hoardings in front of the Anfield Road Stand and basking in the adulation of his supporters and teammates alike.
Salah could have had a hat trick, such was the scale of the threat he posed to the Ligue 1 side for much of the match. The Egypt international looked destined to score when he raced onto a superb pass from the industrious Luis Díaz on the stroke of half-time, holding off his man brilliantly before sending an effort trickling just wide of the post.
In the second half, too, Salah delighted in tormenting the Lille defence, curling another shot narrowly wide and forcing a fine save from Chevalier. But it was substitute Harvey Elliott -- a player who has, at times, been viewed as Salah's protegee since his arrival from Fulham in 2019 -- who scored Liverpool's second of the night, restoring the hosts' lead after Jonathan David had brought Lille level in the 62nd minute.
It was an equaliser that had arrived against the run of play, just minutes after Lille had been reduced to 10 men after Aïssa Mandi picked up a second yellow card for a cynical challenge on Diaz. For that very reason, it felt like it would only be a matter of time before Liverpool got their noses back in front, and their dominance was rewarded when Elliott's strike rippled the back of the net after taking a wicked deflection off the foot of Ngal'Ayel Mukau.
While Slot will surely have been frustrated to see his team concede, Liverpool's defensive strength in the Champions League this season is evidenced by the fact they set a new club record on Tuesday night for the most minutes without conceding a goal in Europe, beating the 572 set under Rafael Benitez in the 2005-06 edition of the competition.
The victory also saw Liverpool equal their best ever sequence of seven wins in a row in the Champions League era, having won their opening seven matches of the 2021-22 campaign. Pair that with the fact Slot's side are six points clear at the top of the Premier League, and still in both domestic cup competitions, and it is hard to overstate the magnitude of the Dutchman's achievements since he replaced Jurgen Klopp in the dugout last summer.
Of course, every scintillating Salah performance serves as an ominous reminder that his days at Liverpool are -- at least for now -- numbered. The forward, alongside teammates Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk, is out of contract in the summer and while he has made no secret of his affinity with the Anfield club and its fans, the prospect of a future without him continues to loom large on Merseyside.
"Special I think is the word that describes Mo's performances at this club the best," Slot said after the game. "He has been outstanding for this club for so many years."
Indeed, with every passing week, Salah's continued importance to this team becomes clearer. Debate over where he ranks among the world's elite forwards will persist, but there can be no denying that Liverpool would be wise to ensure that he commits his future to Slot's side sooner rather than later.
