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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Chris Smith

Watching Mohamed Salah has been the thrill of my footballing lifetime

Mohammed Salah has been a constant source of great celebration and great moments during his nine years at Liverpool
Mohammed Salah has been a constant source of great celebration and great moments during his nine years at Liverpool. Composite: Getty Images

The first time I saw Mohamed Salah play was in August 2017. Arsenal were the visitors to Anfield. Liverpool were sensational on that sunny Sunday afternoon. Bobby Firmino and Sadio Mané had fashioned a 2-0 first-half lead, before the third member of Jürgen Klopp’s new attacking trio added his name to the scoresheet.

Arsenal’s corner was cleared to Héctor Bellerín, about 30 yards out. Salah was on him instantly, robbing the hapless Spaniard easily. His whirring legs blurred like the Road Runner’s as he raced into the Arsenal half and towards Petr Cech. I’d never seen a player bear down on the Kop goal so rapidly.

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