Mohamed Salah is the best bit of business Liverpool have ever done
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Amid the mayhem and noise, there was only one person not celebrating on another magical European night at Anfield.
Mo Salah was the hero, the genius carrying Liverpool towards more European glory and yet the winger just stood with his hands above his head while his team mates mobbed him.
The roof was being lifted off the place by the sheer, deafening noise and Salah refused to celebrate against the club who sold him to Liverpool for £35m last summer.
That has got to be the best piece of business Liverpool have ever done because, right now, Salah looks unstoppable - and Roma must rue the day they let him go.
(Image: Clive Brunskill)
(Image: PA)
Roma’s two late goals means the tie is not done and dusted yet but this night still belonged to Salah with two goals and two assists as Liverpool took a big step towards history.
Salah’s brace takes him to 43 goals in 47 games in all competitions and not even Cristiano Ronaldo or Robert Lewandowski can match those figures.
Liverpool will not be frightened of Real Madrid or Bayern Munich if they get either of the European superpowers in next month’s final because Salah is unstoppable.
(Image: Clive Brunskill)
And the beauty of Salah is that he is a big game player. Just when Roma looked to be comfortable and Liverpool were nervy, up stepped Salah to make the difference.
Anfield turned up the volume and Liverpool produced Jurgen Klopp’s rock and roll football as they were too loud, too heavy and too good for Roma.
It was Salah’s night and yet it also belonged again to Anfield because, just when you thought it could not get any louder than against Manchester City in the last round, it was another occasion to savour.
(Image: PA)
Liverpool felt a wonderful sense of destiny around this tie having beaten Roma in their own stadium to win the 1984 European Cup.
Those pieces of history made Liverpool believe in fate so that, no matter what happened, they would come through and stay on course for their sixth European Cup.
Roma had no answer and no way of stopping Salah as they visibly shrank amid the deafening noise and red-hot atmosphere in Anfield. This will be right up there with the very best European nights.
(Image: REUTERS)
The magical part was that when Liverpool needed Anfield most - the crowd delivered. When Roma had Liverpool worried as Aleksandar Kolarov crashed a 30 yard shot against the crossbar and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was stretchered off, Klopp’s men looked in danger.
That is when Klopp turned to the crowd, fist pumped and the volume was turned up to the maximum and Liverpool found their rhythm.
Of course it was Salah at the heart of it all. Salah absolutely destroyed Roma’s left sided centre half Juan Jesus, turned the Brazilian defender into a nervous wreck and ripped Roma apart.
(Image: REUTERS)
It started in the 35th minute, Liverpool’s energy and pressing won the ball in midfield and Mane and Roberto Firmino combined to get the ball to Salah who, with inch perfect precision, curled a wonderful shot into the top corner.
There was no turning back. Dejan Lovren crashed a header against the bar, Liverpool were rampant and then, in the 45th minute, Salah got his second.
Salah started the move, latched onto Firmino’s return pass and went clean through before lifting the ball over Roma keeper Alisson and into the empty net. Just like the first, Salah did not celebrate and instead just looked to the heavens.
Incredibly, it did not end there. Not satisfied with being goalscorer, Salah turned provider in the 55th minute as he raced down the right, put over a low cross and Mane had the easy task of a tap-in at the back post.
(Image: Clive Brunskill)
Salah destroyed Jesus again after 61 minutes and this time his cross set up Firmino who scored from close range.
Liverpool made it five after 68 minutes when James Milner’s corner found Firmino and the Brazil forward headed powerfully home.
Salah was eventually substituted after 75 minutes to give him a rest from producing footballing miracles. He went off to a standing ovation after an unforgettable night.
(Image: PA)
Edin Dzeko got one back for Roma after 81 minutes after Lovren misjudged Radja Nainggolan’s high ball and then the visitors got a second after 82 minutes after Milner’s handball. Up stepped Diego Perotti to fire home from the spot.
It was enough to give Roma hope and Liverpool doubt but surely, with Salah in their ranks, Klopp’s men cannot blow it from here.