After the last-minute penalty magnificence at the weekend against Burnley, Mohamed Salah did such a thing again, though the masterpiece came a bit earlier.
Welcoming Atletico to Anfield, he helped Liverpool open up the match with a quick contribution, assisting Andy Robertson off a set piece, though it looked more like a deflection in the fourth minute.
Just two minutes later, he doubled the lead, linking up with Ryan Gravenberch in a slick one-two on the right wing.
As Gravenberch bounced the ball back to him, he darted through three Atletico defenders before calmly slotting the ball into the bottom-left corner.
The Egyptian King did it again.
Salah’s statement performance
After an early-season of mixed returns, Salah finally found his rhythm on Wednesday night’s UCL opener, putting up one goal and one assist to become the first player in Champions League history to record both within the first six minutes of a match.
With Salah’s early-game brilliance and Virgil van Dijk’s stoppage-time heroics, Liverpool escaped with a 3–2 victory and emerged as one of the frontrunners in the UCL league phase.
It’s been a bumpy start to the season for Salah. Though he netted a late fourth goal in Liverpool’s Premier League opener against Bournemouth, that strike came in the 94th minute when the result was already settled.
Across the following fixtures, Salah struggled to generate much impact at the front. His influence waned as Liverpool experimented with a new-look frontline, integrating summer signings Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz alongside Cody Gakpo.
With more options up front, Liverpool has relied on Salah less, while opposing defenders have swarmed him more aggressively.
The 33-year-old also showed signs of fatigue, perhaps the first hints of aging, as his trademark explosiveness looked dulled.
He produced only a 25% conversion rate while his attempted dribbles (0 dribbles completed) through the first four PL matches, and struggled to create clear chances from the right half-space where he once thrived.
His passing in the final third also lacked incision, partly contributing to Liverpool’s reckless starts.
But something shifted after the international break. Salah buried the aforementioned penalty in a 1–0 win over Burnley last weekend, a confidence-boosting moment that carried into Wednesday night at Anfield.
Vintage Salah still very much exists
Against Atletico, he ripped through their backline with the kind of run that recalled his prime: darting, weaving through traffic, and finishing with supreme composure.
Beyond the goal and assist, Salah kept working. When Marcos Llorente replicated what he did five years ago, striking twice to even the score, Salah remained composed, leading Liverpool to keep its shape and push forward.
He completed 32 of 38 passes (84%) and created three chances, including two big ones.
He also finished with a match-high two successful dribbles and even rattled the woodwork on a blistering counterattack. Once he got the opener, he never stopped hunting for another.
In today’s social media era, collective memory can be short. As Liverpool’s frontline glitters with emerging stars, it’s easy to forget the original icon who made the Reds’ attack world-class.
On Wednesday night, Salah reminded everyone why he still matters at Anfield. When doubted, he scored and responded.