Mohamed Salah has been nothing short of a revelation since arriving at Anfield at the start of last season.
Once marginalised by Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, the ‘Egyptian King’ spent three years in Italy, tearing up Serie A with his performances at Fiorentina and, more prominently, AS Roma.
His form for the Giallorossi earned him a £37m move back to the Premier League with Liverpool, with that fee initially being scorned at by many of the Reds’ rivals. Oh, how Salah has proven them wrong though.
Salah has since gone on to break record after record with Jurgen Klopp’s side, scoring 44 goals in 52 games last season and helping them to reach the 2018 Champions League final.
And in Sunday’s Merseyside derby win over Everton, Salah reached another landmark; 50 appearances in the Premier League for Liverpool.
But how does the Kop’s favourite compare to some of the Premier League greats after their first 50 league games at a new club?
Read on and find out!
10. Les Ferdinand – Newcastle United
Goals scored after 50 Premier League games: 32
Kicking off our list is one of the most lethal finishers of the early Premier League era. Les Ferdinand scored nearly 200 goals during his playing career and though his time with Newcastle United was short-lived, it was incredibly productive.
The England striker netted 32 goals in his first 50 Premier League games for the club. He left the Magpies for Tottenham Hotspur in 1997 having scored 50 goals in 84 games in all competitions.
9. Daniel Sturridge – Liverpool
Goals scored after 50 Premier League games: 33
Injuries may have taken their toll on Daniel Sturridge in recent years, but one thing he has always been is deadly in front of goal.
After joining Liverpool in January 2013, the former Manchester City and Chelsea striker finally began fulfilling his goalscoring potential, netting 33 goals in his first 50 Premier League games for the Reds, forming an incredible partnership with now-Barcelona forward Luis Suarez.
The 29-year-old has struggled for fitness in recent seasons but still has the ability to turn a game at a moment – as proven with his unbelievable goal against Chelsea in September.
8. Carlos Tevez – Manchester City
Goals scored after 50 Premier League games: 33
Whether it’s bizarrely moving to West Ham United, swapping Manchester United for Manchester City or seemingly joining and leaving Boca Juniors when he feels like it, Carlos Tevez has never been far from controversy. However, the Argentine has also never been short of goals.
Tevez shocked the footballing world in 2009 when he moved to Manchester City, having just helped rivals Manchester United to Premier League title in the previous season. However, he wasted no time in justifying his decision, scoring 33 goals in his first 50 games for the Citizens, helping them to the Premier League title in 2012.
7. Fernando Torres – Liverpool
Goals scored after 50 Premier League games: 33
Remember when Fernando Torres joined Liverpool and absolutely tore the Premier League to shreds? ‘El Nino’ looked a shadow of his former self upon moving to Chelsea in January 2011, but his time at Liverpool was ridiculously good and the £50m paid for his services was more than justified.
The Spanish international scored 33 goals in his first 50 Premier League games for the Reds, firing the club to fourth in his first season and helping them come agonisingly close to winning the league in his second, with Liverpool eventually finishing four points behind Manchester United.
6. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink – Chelsea
Goals scored after 50 Premier League games: 34
Another striker making the move from Atlético Madrid, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was a lethal goalscorer pretty much everywhere he went. He is, however, often strangely overlooked when talking about the Premier League’s best strikers due to a lack of major honours.
The Dutchman had a great mix of simple poaching and long-range wonder goals in his armoury and really showed it when he joined Chelsea in 2000, scoring 34 goals in his first 50 Premier League games.
5. Kevin Phillips – Sunderland
Goals scored after 50 Premier League games: 34
If you’re looking for Premier League nostalgia, go no further than Kevin Phillips and Niall Quinn forming a perfect ‘little and large’ partnership up front for Sunderland.
That particular pairing was one of the surprise packages in English football but proved vital as Phillips netted 34 goals in his first 50 Premier League games for the Black Cats – having scored 23 in 26 in the First Division the previous season – helping the club to consecutive seventh-placed finishes in the process.
His incredible 30 goals in 1999/2000 were enough to win him the European Golden Shoe, the only Englishman to achieve the feat to date.
4. Robin van Persie – Manchester United
Goals scored after 50 Premier League games: 34
Of all the players to leave Arsenal during the latter stages of Arsene Wenger’s reign, Robin van Persie’s departure has to be one of the hardest to take. Moving to rivals Manchester United didn’t exactly endear himself to the Gunners’ faithful, but on a personal level, it couldn’t have gone better for the Dutch international.
RVP was devastating for the Red Devils, helping Sir Alex Ferguson’s side to the 2012/13 Premier League title, his only league title to date, scoring 34 goals in his first 50 league games for Man United in the process.
3. Mohamed Salah – Liverpool
Goals scored after 50 Premier League games: 39
As previously mentioned, Mohamed Salah’s transformation from Chelsea reject to Liverpool icon has been quite remarkable. The Egyptian didn’t score in his 50th appearance, a 1-0 Merseyside derby win over Everton, but he already had 39 league goals and last season’s Premier League Golden Boot to his name in that time.
Tweaks to Liverpool’s approach have seen Salah used as an out-and-out centre-forward this season, resulting in seven goals in first 14 Premier League appearances of 2018/19. Given the enormous amount of chances created for him – by his teammates and himself – plenty more are sure to follow.
2. Alan Shearer – Blackburn Rovers
Goals scored after 50 Premier League games: 41
Alan Shearer’s goalscoring exploits and loyalty during his time at Newcastle United will always be memorable, but his most successful time as a player came at Blackburn Rovers.
After joining from Southampton for a then-English record fee of £3.6m in 1992, Shearer really hit his goalscoring stride, bagging an incredible 41 goals in his first 50 Premier League games for the Rovers.
The England international won the 1995 Premier League title at Ewood Park, his only major honour as a player, before leaving to join his boyhood club Newcastle in 1996.
1. Andrew Cole – Newcastle United
Goals scored after 50 Premier League games: 41
In a career reversal of Alan Shearer, Andy Cole scored a hatful of goals for Newcastle United, before leaving the club to go on a trophy-winning expedition, with Alex Ferguson shelling out £6m plus Keith Gillespie to bring the striker to Old Trafford in 1995.
Why did Man United part with such a large sum of cash for Cole’s services? Because the Nottingham born forward scored 41 goals in his first 50 Premier League games, helping a newly-promoted Newcastle United finish in sixth and third respectively in their first two seasons back in the top flight.
The post How Mohamed Salah’s Premier League half-century for Liverpool compares to the best appeared first on Squawka News.
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