Eight goals, 21 key passes – Salah tops Premier League charts but set to miss Leicester clash

Mohamed Salah has enjoyed a fantastic start to the campaign but, after contracting coronavirus, now faces a spell out of the Liverpool side.

Salah returned a positive result ahead of Egypt’s Africa Cup of Nations double-header against Togo and will now have to undergo a period of self-isolation.

While it is unclear as to when Salah underwent the test, coronavirus protocols dictate the 28-year-old must isolate for 14 days from that date, meaning he will miss Liverpool’s clash with Premier League leaders Leicester City on November 22.

Liverpool have already been without Salah’s fellow forward Sadio Mane due to COVID-19 this season, with the Senegal winger sitting out of the 7-2 defeat to Aston Villa.

This absence will be particularly painful given Salah’s brilliant start to the campaign, and we take a look at the Opta data behind the Egyptian’s flying form.

8 – Mo Salah has scored eight goals for Liverpool in this season’s Premier League; no player has ever scored more in the Reds’ first eight matches of a campaign in the competition, level with Fernando Torres in 2009-10 and Robbie Fowler in 1995-96. Formality. #MCILIV pic.twitter.com/450RhPRYgW

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 8, 2020

TOP OF THE CHARTS

Salah’s eight goals from as many appearances sees him lead the way in England’s top flight, along with Tottenham’s Son Heung-min, Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Leicester’s Jamie Vardy.

It appears Vardy – whose tally includes five penalties compared to four successful spot-kicks from Salah – will now have the opportunity to nose clear of the Reds superstar when Brendan Rodgers’ side roll up to Anfield.

With his penalty against Manchester City before the international break, Salah moved level with Fernando Torres (in 2009-10) and Robbie Fowler (1995-96) for the most goals through eight games of a Premier League campaign for Liverpool.

Though he has no assists to his name this term, Salah has created 21 chances for his team-mates, more than any other Premier League player, while his tally of 34 attempts ranks behind only Tottenham striker Harry Kane.

Salah ranks joint-top for shots on target (15) and shots from inside the area (26) and first outright for touches in the opposition box (85), with his 5.8 expected goals – outperformed by 2.2 – the fourth-highest in the league.

A strong start to the @premierleague season from @MoSalah  pic.twitter.com/QRkia40hij

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 12, 2020

WHAT WILL THE REDS MISS?

Salah will be a big miss, but Jurgen Klopp’s side have not lost any of the six league games he has been absent for since he joined from Roma in 2017, winning three and drawing three.

Leicester have also been far from Salah’s favourite opponent. He netted three goals across his two league appearances against the Foxes in 2017-18 but has not managed to score in his past four meetings with them.

His absence does come on the back of Joe Gomez sustaining a serious knee injury while on England duty, however, with Liverpool already without star defenders Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.