Mohamed Salah's 'phantom'-like performance across two legs in Liverpool's Champions League Round of 16 clash against Paris Saint-Germain didn't exactly offer the Reds' opponents the best insight into what the Egyptian King has become all about this season. This has certainly been portrayed in the French media after Arne Slot's side lost via a penalty shootout on Tuesday night.
Liverpool withstood a barrage in Paris to secure an unlikely 1-0 victory in the first leg, but their narrow lead quickly evaporated in the second leg. Ousmane Dembele struck from close range in the 12th minute, putting the Champions League tie on a knife’s edge, before both teams were left to face the lottery of a penalty shootout to determine who deserved to progress.
Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones had their 12-yard efforts saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma, sending PSG into the quarter-finals. However, much has been made of Salah’s performance in France, as the current Ballon d'Or favourite struggled to showcase his big-game pedigree.
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The Liveprool winger's highest rating was 4.5/10
Mo Salah
If there’s one player in the current Liverpool squad expected to deliver under immense pressure, it’s Salah. Since 2017, the Egyptian international has repeatedly risen to the occasion, playing a pivotal role in the Reds’ pursuit of a gluttony of trophies. This season, his staggering 52 goal contributions in 42 games across all competitions further highlight his influence.
However, the consensus in France is that Salah was a mere shadow of himself in Liverpool’s attempt to overcome PSG’s dominance. Footmercato rated his performance a 4 out of 10, writing: "Highly anticipated after his ordeal in the first leg, the Egyptian started his match very strongly. Overall, all the opportunities were created on his side in the first half, but he often came up against an excellent Nuno Mendes, intractable on the wing.
"In the second half, he came close to bringing the Reds back to level, (Khvicha) Kvaratskhelia miraculously saving his half-volley from a corner (62nd). But [he] gradually fell back into his bad habits of the first leg, committing a lot (too many) technical inaccuracies and weighing very little in the Reds’ push at the end of the match.”
Salah-1
Meanwhile, Homme du Match awarded Salah just a 4 out of 10, writing: "A fiery first quarter of an hour before being extinguished by (Nuno) Mendes. From the start, he was ideally served by Mac Allister and curled his ball to the far post, blocked near the line by Mendes. A few moments later, following a solo raid, he saw his attempt graze the far corner. Subsequently, the Egyptian suffered in the face of Mendes’ constant pressure and activity. In the second half, while he had some good balls to negotiate, he lacked the creativity to truly worry the PSG rear-guard.”
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Finally, Maxifoot was slightly more generous, giving Salah a 4.5 out of 10: "Well controlled in the first leg (1-0), the Liverpool winger had another mixed evening against Paris Saint-Germain. However, early in the game, the Egyptian was dangerous with a shot saved by Mendes and then a shot off target.
"But thereafter, he was not very sharp and was especially well caught by Mendes in the first half. After the break, the Pharaoh was more inspired, but was checked by a volley by Kvaratskhelia. It should be noted that he managed to score his (penalty) shot.”
Despite Salah’s undeniable talent and influence throughout the season as Liverpool eye a 20th league title, his performance over both legs against PSG has left critics questioning whether he truly stepped up when it mattered most. He lost possession 47 times in 220 minutes across both legs, as he also failed to create a single big chance for his teammates on two evenings the Reds desperately needed inspiration.