When Jurgen Klopp fashioned his great Liverpool team, Mohamed Salah was the final piece in an attacking triumverate that matched anything in Europe.
With Salah on the right providing a blizzard of goals, Brazil’s Roberto Firmino providing silky touches allied to moments of genius through the centre and beyond, plus Sadio Mane delivering selfless brilliance and menace on the left, Liverpool swept up the major prizes.
The trio provided the Reds’ adaptable, unstoppable spearhead – and now head coach Arne Slot’s Liverpool machine has a new three-dimensional threat with echoes of the silver-lined past.
Salah is the kingpin, his goal in the 5-0 thrashing of West Ham United racking up another remarkable number as it was his 20th goal in all competitions this season, a figure he has now reached in all of his eight seasons at Liverpool.
Salah’s goal and assist means he has now been involved in 52 goals in all competitions in 2024 – 29 goals and 23 assists – which is more than any other player in Europe’s big five leagues.
He has also scored and assisted in eight different Premier League games this season, already the most any player has achieved in a single campaign.
“Mo and the word ‘extraordinary’ is something I have heard a lot over the last six months and he deserves that,” said Slot. “He also works so hard for the team.”
Salah may be the headline act these days, but he is not working alone as Liverpool cut a swathe through the Premier League, where they have an eight-point lead going into 2025, and Champions League, where they also head the table in this season’s new format.
‘A natural fit all tuned into the same wavelength’
With Firmino and Mane now elsewhere, Slot has teamed Salah up with two potent allies – inherited from Klopp – who are increasingly making this look a season when the Premier League title returns to Anfield.
All three of them scored in the thumping victory at London Stadium.
Luis Diaz, who netted twice in the 6-3 win at Tottenham seven days before this West Ham rout, set them on their way.
A player who was signed and utilised as a wide player when he arrived from Porto in January 2022, Slot now has the Colombian working the central areas to great effect, perhaps without Firmino’s elegance but with real impact, especially as his finishing has become more reliable.
And, on the left, the rangy, dangerous Cody Gakpo has found his natural home, a position where he was one of the stars of Euro 2024 for the Netherlands, a scorer and creator, with an ability to come in off the flank making decisive contributions while also showing a natural finisher’s eye.
Diaz’s natural attraction to the wide areas also increases Liverpool’s options in attack – but what makes them so dangerous is that Salah, Diaz and Gakpo are such a natural fit; three high-class operators tuned in to the same wavelength.
Mane-Firmino-Salah v Gakpo-Diaz-Salah – what the stats say
When Liverpool won the Premier League in 2019-20, Klopp’s front three barely changed throughout – Firmino played a part in all 38 matches, while Mane made 35 appearances and Salah 34.
However, the numbers suggest they were nowhere near as potent as this new-look forward line.
After 18 matches Gakpo, Diaz and Salah already have 30 goals between them, compared to 46 by the title-winning front three.
On average, their shot conversion and big chance conversion rates are superior too.
Individually, however, there are some noticeable differences…
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On the left, Gakpo’s five goals – coming at one goal every 180 minutes – is down on Mane’s, although he is lethal when presented with a big chance.
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Down the middle, Diaz is much more clincal and scoring at a faster rate than Firmino, but is providing fewer assists.
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And, on the right, Salah is just playing better than ever. His 19 goals and 10 assists compares favourably to the 17 goals and 13 assists he managed during the entire title-winning campaign.
It then comes down to longevity.
While their stats stack up over half a season, the 245 goals Salah, Mane and Firmino shared during the five years they spent together at Anfield is nothing short of remarkable.
‘Goals shared around is pleasing to see’
While it is too soon to put the trio in the same bracket as Salah, Firmino and Mane, there is no doubting the stunning contribution they have made to Liverpool’s remorseless first season under Slot as they race clear at the top of the Premier League, with only one defeat in 18 games.
In partnership with Salah, Firmino and Mane won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Uefa Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup.
This is what the new breed must live up to – but Salah, Diaz and Gakpo are now pose a thrilling, unless you are in opposition, threat of their own.
And, as if they do not give opponents, not just those as truly abysmal as West Ham United, enough to worry about, Slot can also introduce the man who is arguably Liverpool’s most clinical finisher.
Diogo Jota proved this point with the final goal after Diaz, Gakpo and Salah provided the platform to establish a 3-0 lead by half-time.
“If you see the goals shared around it is pleasing to see,” added Slot. “If you only have one player scoring goals that’s not helpful but it is always good to have someone scoring a lot of goals.
“It was not only who scores the goals, it was the lead up to the goals that was positive, too.”
