There are players who pass through Anfield and leave a mark. Then there is Mohamed Salah, who arrived from Roma in the summer of 2017 and proceeded to rewrite what was thought possible in the red shirt. As his Liverpool career draws admiring retrospectives, it is worth sitting with the moments — the highs, the gut-punch lows, the pure theatre — that made his tenure on Merseyside so indelible.

Kyiv and the cruel exit that fuelled everything

The lowest point came first, and it set the tone for everything that followed. Sergio Ramos's infamous hold-and-twist move in the 2018 Champions League final forced Salah from the pitch in the 30th minute, shoulder ligaments damaged, in tears and inconsolable. Madrid ran out 3-1 winners. What struck observers at the time was the breadth of sympathy — supporters of every club felt the injustice. Salah had earned that goodwill through 44 goals and 16 assists in all competitions across his debut season, a haul that won him the PFA Players' Player of the Year award. More than the numbers, it was his humility that had transcended tribal loyalties. The exit in Kyiv did not break him. It loaded the gun.

Persistence rewarded against Spurs

The 2018-19 title race with Manchester City was a slow-burn ordeal, nine consecutive wins required just to keep pace with a City side that would ultimately pip Liverpool by a single point. The most nerve-shredding afternoon came on 31 March against Tottenham. Roberto Firmino's opener was cancelled out by Lucas Moura, and the clock ticked agonisingly into the 90th minute with the score level. Trent Alexander-Arnold delivered a deep corner, Salah headed the ball back into the danger area — no clean contact, pure instinct — and Hugo Lloris could only push it on to Toby Alderweireld, from whom it trickled in. An own goal, technically, but Salah's refusal to concede the situation was lost was the spark. Liverpool kept believing, and so did he.

The night redemption arrived in Madrid

One year on from Kyiv, the Champions League final returned a different verdict. The setting was Madrid, the day bright and charged with nervous energy. Early in the match, Salah stepped up to convert a penalty with the composure of a man who had been saving this moment. Liverpool won the European Cup for the sixth time. For Salah, it was personal as much as collective — a story he had promised himself he would finish differently.

The City stunner

Ask any Liverpool supporter to close their eyes and picture a Salah goal and there is every chance they land on the one against Manchester City — a piece of individual brilliance that the market for highlight reels has never tired of. The combination of pace, balance and a finish that left the goalkeeper without a prayer served as a reminder that Salah operated on a different frequency.

The United double

Old Trafford and Anfield both felt the weight of Salah's quality across two separate fixtures against Manchester United — first in 2020, then again in 2024 — with Salah leaving his signature on both occasions. The 2024 version, in particular, arrived at a stage of his Liverpool story when the noise around his future was growing loudest, and he answered in the most direct language available: goals.

A career defined by steel as much as skill

What the retrospective highlights above all else is that Salah's Liverpool career was not simply a catalogue of talent. It was a study in character. The shoulder injury in Kyiv could have defined him as unlucky. Instead it became the first chapter in a redemption arc he wrote himself. The late header against Spurs, scruffy and instinctive, sat alongside the polished finish against City as equal parts of the same story — a player who never decided a game was done.

From the PFA award in his debut season to Champions League glory, Mohamed Salah's years at Anfield belong in the conversation about the greatest individual runs of form English football has witnessed. The joy, as it turns out, was not just of six moments. It was of an era.

FAQ

Frequently asked

How many goals did Mohamed Salah score in his first season at Liverpool?
Salah scored 44 goals in all competitions during his debut 2017-18 season at Liverpool, adding 16 assists. The haul won him the PFA Players' Player of the Year award.
Why did Mohamed Salah go off in the 2018 Champions League final?
Salah was forced off in the 30th minute of the final in Kyiv after Sergio Ramos's hold-and-twist challenge damaged his shoulder ligaments. Liverpool went on to lose 3-1 to Real Madrid.
Did Mohamed Salah win the Champions League with Liverpool?
Yes. Salah won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2019, a year after the heartbreak of Kyiv. The final was played in Madrid and Salah scored from the penalty spot as Liverpool claimed the trophy.