Eric Dier was filmed on Sunday jokingly asking Tim Krul if Mohamed Salah had paid him to help prevent Son Heung-min taking the Premier League ’s Golden Boot.
Liverpool star Salah and Tottenham forward Son ended up sharing the prize after both ending the season on 23 goals. But that only came to pass after a dramatic final day of the season in which the pendulum swung both ways.
Salah held a one-goal lead going into the final game week of the season, but was left on the bench for Liverpool’s crucial match against Wolves due to a minor injury problem. With Spurs playing bottom team Norwich, Son was handed a good chance to overhaul the Egyptian, who had led the way in the scoring charts following a rapid start to the campaign.
However, while Spurs eased into the lead through Dejan Kulusevski and Harry Kane in the first half, Son’s goals were nowhere to be seen. Krul then produced some magnificent saves – including a reaction stop at point-blank range in the second half – to prevent the South Korean from netting.
It was at this point that Dier, with his tongue firmly in his cheek, asked the Dutch goalkeeper if Salah had tried to pay him to perform well. Cameras caught the Spurs defender saying: "What's Salah giving you?"
Krul looked nonplussed and repeated the question back, before the duo had to concentrate once again, with Lucas Moura lining up to take a late free-kick from out wide. Son’s red-hot form in front of goal could not be tamed for long though, with the Spurs attacker eventually getting in on the act at Carrow Road.
First he found the bottom corner from Moura’s delightful flick to make it 4-0, before he saved the best for last. Five minutes later, he collected the ball on the edge of the box, got past Teemu Pukki and bent a stunning effort past Krul and into the bottom corner to complete the 5-0 rout.
At that stage it seemed as though Son was heading for the Golden Boot outright, but Salah grabbed a crucial goal at Anfield in the 84th minute against Wolves. The Egyptian reacted fastest to a loose ball following a set piece and stabbed in through a defender’s legs at the back post to make it 2-1 to Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Liverpool were ultimately undone in their quest for a quadruple by Manchester City ’s remarkable 3-2 comeback win over Aston Villa, but Salah’s late goal ensured he kept a hold of the Golden Boot – even if he had to share it with Son. Salah also scooped the Playmaker award, for picking up 13 assists – one more than team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold.
