It was another Wembley final and yet more disappointment for Mohamed Salah as Liverpool were defeated on penalties by Crystal Palace in the Community Shield.
Salah missed his penalty in the shootout after Liverpool and Palace played out an entertaining 2-2 draw over 90 minutes.
There was plenty for Arne Slot to be encouraged about as new recruits Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike linked up to put Liverpool ahead in the opening stages.
Fellow summer signing Jeremie Frimpong also opened his account on his first competitive appearance for the Reds, a freak cross-cum-shot that perplexed Dean Henderson and floated in.
The fortuitous strike regained Liverpool’s lead in the first half after Jean-Philippe Mateta equalised from the penalty spot after a rare error from Virgil van Dijk gave the spot kick away.
Last season’s FA Cup winners grew into the game and were rewarded for a strong spell in the second half with Ismaila Sarr equalising.
Slot’s new-look Liverpool showed plenty of promise, their new signings linking up well to produce some fluid attacks.
In a lot of ways, the game was the inverse of last season’s title triumph.
Van Dijk and Salah were so often Liverpool’s standout players last term, but the former was arguably at fault for both of Palace’s goals and the latter was by a distance their quietest attacker.
Salah, in particular, struggled to make his mark on the game. He received the lowest average rating based off his statistical output, which saw him register no goals, no assists, no chances created, no successful take-ons or accurate crosses.
It’s not the first time that Liverpool’s Egyptian King has failed to produce his best football in a final, with his individual display reminiscent of his quiet showing in the League Cup final defeat to Newcastle back in March.
In fairness to Salah, while the Community Shield was a game to forget, it’s unlikely to be one he’ll lose any sleep over.
It certainly isn’t considered a ‘major’ final and will soon be forgotten. In fact, only one of the last 13 winners of the traditional curtain-raiser has gone on to win the title that season – a good omen for Liverpool?
But it is a concerning continuation of a wider trend for Salah, who has lost five of the nine major finals he’s played in with Egypt and Liverpool. His nation fell short in the 2017 and 2021 AFCON showpieces, while his record across seven major finals for the Reds is a real mixed bag.
Salah assisted Mohamed Elneny in the 2017 AFCON final, only for Cameroon to overturn the deficit and win 2-1. He also struck from the spot to open the scoring in the 2019 Champions League final, a 2-0 victory over Spurs.
He’s yet to score from open play in a major final, and he’s not provided an assist in any of the seven he’s started for Liverpool.
The 2025 League Cup marked the sixth time (following the 2018 Champions League final, 2019 Club World Cup final, 2022 FA Cup final, 2022 League Cup final and 2022 Champions League final) that he fired a blank in a major final for the club. They won three and lost three of those matches.
But luck has also deserted him on the biggest stages, from being injured by Sergio Ramos in the 2018 Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid, to going off before half-time in the Reds’ tense 2022 FA Cup final (a goalless draw won on penalties) against Chelsea.
Injury also sidelined him for the 2024 League Cup final, in which Jurgen Klopp’s young side famously overcame Chelsea’s “blue billion-pound bottle jobs”.
Still, while Salah’s record in finals leaves a lot to be desired he’s far from the only great player with such a rap sheet. Erling Haaland and even the great Thierry Henry don’t have brilliant records in finals themselves.
Here’s a full breakdown of Salah’s stats in all finals, including the Community Shield:
Mohamed Salah in finals
Finals: 13
Goals: 2
Assists: 2
Penalties scored: 2
Minutes per goal: 587
Minutes per non-penalty goal: N/A (1174 minutes played)
Minutes per goal or assist: 293
Finals won: 5
Finals lost: 8
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