Liverpool managed a 2-2 draw with Newcastle United on the road in the Premier League on Sunday, while Mohamed Salah was in action for Trabzonspor, having left Anfield as a free agent
Mohamed Salah celebrates
Mohamed Salah bagged a brace against Basaksehir(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Liverpool scraped a 2-2 draw with Newcastle United, in an afternoon which saw Mohamed Salah roll back the years with Trabzonspor - as the Egypt star sent a reminder of his ability to come up clutch when it matters most.
It was a difficult day at St James' Park for Andoni Iraola's men, who slipped a goal down to the Magpies just five minutes into their Premier League opener. Will Osula was quick on the break as Liverpool scuppered possession deep into Newcastle's half, finding Anthony Elanga on the edge of Alisson's area who had beaten Milos Kerkez for pace.
From there, the Sweden international slotted home from close range to give the hosts an early lead. While Cody Gakpo gave Liverpool a glimmer of hope with a long-range strike from the edge of the box 10 minutes into the second-half, Joe Willock was quick to provide a lead for Newcastle moments later in similar fashion to Elanga's opener.
The Englishman received the ball from Yoane Wissa before burying it into the back of the net, with Matthias Jaissle's men defending for dear life for the remainder of the encounter. It was in the fifth and final minute of stoppage time that Liverpool managed to secure the draw, Victor Munoz brought down in Newcastle's box by Lewis Hall, allowing Dominik Szoboszlai to step-up and coolly convert from the spot.
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And while the draw may feel like a small victory to some Liverpool supporters, considering they were moments away from making the long trip back to Merseyside with nothing to show for their efforts, the match serves as stark wake-up call for Iraola and his first-team.
One of the big talking points of the season has surrounded Salah's exit, and a seemingly impossible task to replace the 34-year-old club legend like for like. The forward was the Reds' main driving force for the majority of his nine-year stint with the club.
Long-time fans following Salah's new life in the Turkish Super Lig may have also felt a little envious that he no longer dons the red of Liverpool, considering his emphatic performance with new club, Trabzonspor, the same day as their club's stalemate on Tyneside.
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Salah started on the right-hand side for Karadeniz Fırtınası as his new club faced Istanbul Basaksehir on home soil at 5pm, needing very little time to make a mark. The forward showed a poacher's prowess to leap on a spilled ball by goalkeeper, Muhammed Şengezer, finding the back of the net from close range to give Trabzonspor the lead just eight minutes in.
While Eldor Shomurodov equalised from the penalty spot a little over 10 minutes later, Salah once more found the scoresheet early into the second-half. Having received the ball out wide on the right, Salah played a one-two with Ernest Muçi before bursting into the box, cutting an angle, and slotting home with his patented left-foot.
The talent could have also secured a hat-trick late into stoppage time, firing from range into the back of an empty net as Şengezer made his way back from a last-ditch corner, but that goal was ultimately ruled out for offside, as Salah failed to time his run into the Basaksehir half.
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It comes as Liverpool eye an ambitious move for Paris Saint-Germain's Bradley Barcola as a potential successor to Salah, but negotiations haven't been without their problems.
Les Parisiens are reportedly demanding £145m to facilitate a move for the 23-year-old Frenchman, with the Reds struggling to agree on a concrete fee. Liverpool are hopeful that they can shave that figure down to somewhere between £111m and £128m, with suggestions that their next written offer will be the one to seal the deal.
Liverpool will now turn their attention to Saturday's Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest at Anfield. Whether they will be any closer to finally securing the successor to Salah by then, remains to be seen.