Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood was a surprise contender in the golden boot race against Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah last season.
In the end, Salah finished well clear of Chris Wood, but the Forest striker was able to notch 20 goals in his 36 Premier League appearances.
And in line with Salah scoring in Liverpool’s opening game of the season against Bournemouth late on, Wood also opened his tally against Brentford – scoring twice in a 3-1 win.
Rank Name Goals
1 Mohamed Salah 29
2 Alexander Isak 23
3 Erling Haaland 22
4= Chris Wood 20
4= Bryan Mbeumo 20
The Premier League top scorers during the 2024/25 campaign.
In terms of Wood’s efforts against Liverpool last season, the striker scored against Arne Slot’s side at the City Ground, but he wasn’t on the scoresheet when Forest won 1-0 at Anfield.
And whilst Slot now has Hugo Ekitike vying for the golden boot, Wood has now taken a moment to praise a different Liverpool star.
Speaking at the PFA awards, where Wood was named in the PFA Team of the Year, the Forest striker was taken aside by Mail Sport and asked to build his perfect footballer.
Liverpool had five players named in the side, including captain Virgil van Dijk.
Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Bournemouth at Anfield.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
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And when it came to building his perfect footballer, Wood chose Van Dijk for his strength, which was partly behind his inclusion in the league’s best side.
In truth, it’s hard to argue with any of Wood’s choices, and even Salah probably wouldn’t disagree with Lionel Messi’s left-foot being chosen ahead of his.
Interestingly, Jamie Carragher tipped Florian Wirtz to become the next Kevin De Bruyne recently, and perhaps he will one day be selected in the ‘footballing brain’ category.
Jeremie Frimpong is Liverpool’s new fastest player
In terms of centre-backs, Van Dijk has always been among the fastest in the Premier League – he’s had the speed to match strength, explaining why he’s been so successful.
But given the Dutchman is now 34-years-old, it’s understandable that he’s no longer among the Reds’ top sprinters.
That being said, FotMob actually clocked Jeremie Frimpong as Liverpool’s fastest player in their 4-2 win over Bournemouth last Friday.
Player Top speed (km/h)
Jeremie Frimpong 36.1
Hugo Ekitike 33.6
Ibrahima Konate 33.1
Mohamed Salah 32.9
Florian Wirtz 32.7
Liverpool’s fastest players against Bournemouth on Friday night.
Salah is still remarkably fast himself despite his years, and Ekitike is clearly going to add a very well-rounded set of skills to Liverpool’s attack.
It’s all looking very promising for Slot’s side once again this season, and Liverpool will be looking to do better against Wood and Forest this season, who they failed to beat last term.