Thiago Alcantara has hailed Mohamed Salah as one of the best players he’s ever played alongside after the Egyptian inspired Liverpool to beat Tottenham on Sunday.
Salah scored both of Liverpool’s goals in their 2-1 win in north London – their first away victory in the Premier League all season. He fired into the bottom corner with a snapshot from Darwin Nunez’s pass before chipping Hugo Lloris following an error by Eric Dier.
Harry Kane got a goal back with a smart finish into the bottom corner as Spurs improved in the second half. But Antonio Conte’s side could not force an equaliser, with Ivan Perisic striking the woodwork twice.
Salah now has 14 goals and five assists in 20 appearances for Liverpool this season, despite their stuttering start in the league. The 30-year-old now looks to be back to his best and Thiago is delighted to be playing with him.
"For sure, he is one of the top forwards or wingers I have played with in my career,” he told the Premier League post-match when asked about Salah. “It is the consistency he has, not just on the pitch but outside of it. His work ethic, how he wants to help the team, how he wants to help himself."
Liverpool were much the better side in the first half at Spurs, but were forced to withstand a lot of pressure after the break. While Thiago was happy with the win, he admitted that the performance was far from perfect.
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"When we lost control of the game we were very vulnerable,” he said. “When we lost control of the game the team suffers because it is counter after counter after counter. We were not dominant anymore in the second half.”
Salah now has five goals and one assist in his past four games in all competitions. His instincts appear to be back, with his instant control and shot for the opening goal showing his class in front of goal.
“It’s important, you always try to control in as small a space as you can because also in the box there are a few legs there,” he told Sky Sports.
“I think second half I could also have done the same but I was confident if I shoot in one time it was going to go in. I’m always trying to have a good first touch because it puts me in a better position. I managed to do that today.”
Salah is hoping that Liverpool’s first away league win, following the 2-0 victory against Napoli, can act as a turning point for Liverpool’s season. “Before, we didn’t want to lose but that’s football and we have to accept it,” he said.
“We managed to strike back a few times in the season; we played very good games, like against [Manchester] City and against Napoli. Now, hopefully that gives us more confidence. We’ll just try to carry on and win games.”
