Mohamed Salah scores 250th goal as Liverpool beat Aston Villa to end woeful run
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Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring the opening goal - his 250th for the club.
PHOTO: AFP
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- Liverpool beat Aston Villa 2-0, ending a four-game losing streak in the Premier League, and provisionally climbed into third.
- Mohamed Salah scored his 250th goal for Liverpool after a mistake from Villa's Emi Martinez, putting Liverpool ahead.
- Ryan Gravenberch's deflected goal sealed the win, offering relief before facing Real Madrid and Manchester City.
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LIVERPOOL, England - Liverpool finally halted their dreadful losing run with a 2-0 Premier League victory over Aston Villa on Nov 1 to climb provisionally into third place in the table, as Mohamed Salah became the third player in Reds history to score 250 goals.
Under mounting pressure after four successive league losses - and six in their last seven games across all competitions - Arne Slot’s men climbed to within seven points of league leaders Arsenal with 18 points. Villa fell to 11th in the table on 15 points.
Salah, who has been criticised for his slow start to the season, struck in first-half injury time, capitalising on a huge blunder from Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez who played the ball right into the path of Liverpool’s talisman.
Salah finished first time to the relief of the anxious Anfield crowd, and joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players to score 250 goals for the Merseyside club.
Ryan Gravenberch, in his first game after missing three with an ankle injury, doubled the home side’s lead in the 58th minute when he blasted a shot from the top of the box that deflected off Pau Torres and in past Martinez.
Ryan Gravenberch scores Liverpool’s second goal.
PHOTO: EPA
Slot punched the air in delight as the home fans serenaded the manager.
The crowd chanted “Champions! Champions!” when the final whistle sounded to end what had been the longest current losing run in the league.
“It’s very important,” Salah told TNT of the win. “We’ve had a few losses in the Premier League and Champions League. I’m glad we are back on track now, and it’s a big push before some important games.”
The win comes ahead of a challenging stretch, with Liverpool hosting La Liga giants Real Madrid in the Champions League on Nov 4 before facing Manchester City in a league game at Etihad Stadium on Nov 9.
Villa started brightly on Nov 1. Morgan Rogers rang a shot off the post five minutes into the game, and Matty Cash forced a stunning diving save from Giorgi Mamardashvili who tipped the ball over the bar early on.
But Liverpool grew into the game and summer signing Hugo Ekitike, already a big fan favourite at Anfield, celebrated what he thought was Liverpool’s first goal of the night late in the first half, when he headed home Dominik Szoboszlai’s cross. The goal was ruled offside. REUTERS
