Reaction'I always try to help the team' - Mohamed Salah speaks after Liverpool win at Ipswich
A goal and an assist from the No.11 led the Reds to victory at Portman Road on Saturday lunchtime, with Salah first teeing up Diogo Jota to open the scoring before striking himself soon after.
The Egyptian’s close-range finish saw him set a new record for goals scored on the first day of Premier League campaigns, his tally of nine taking him clear of Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney and Alan Shearer on the occasion of his 350th appearance for the club.
Post-match, Salah spoke with TNT Sports. Read the interview in full below.
On the game…
It was quite tough today, to be fair. The weather is really warm today but it’s a tough team and I’m glad that we won the game today. I am always happy to make the difference for the team, that’s the most important thing, that the team won the game, so we just need to carry on.
On whether it is tricky to face a newly promoted team…
Yeah, definitely. When they play at home especially it is quite tough. First game of the season, the crowd is always up and they always push them forward. It’s quite tough, we knew that before the game – we have played for many years now in the Premier League so we have that experience. So, yeah, we expected a tough game.
On why he is so productive on the opening day of seasons…
I don’t know! Hopefully I’ll keep going like this through the whole season, not just the first game! I try to help the team all the time. The most important thing is that the team wins the game. I’m always happy to score goals and to give assists so I just need to carry on.
On whether Arne Slot asks anything different of him in terms of his own role in the team…
It’s quite different because Jürgen [Klopp] was in [charge] of the team for eight years here at Liverpool. He gave everything and now there is a new manager, a new system. It’s quite different for all of us so we need to adapt. We just take it step by step because some players also came back late, so we just need to know his way of playing and to enjoy the football.
On what Liverpool supporters can expect to see under Slot this season…
Well, we don’t need to put more pressure on him! We just need to play football and enjoy our games and let’s see in the end.
Team newsConfirmed Liverpool line-up v Bayer Leverkusen
AcademyYouth League match report: Liverpool 4-1 Bayer Leverkusen
Programme notesArne Slot: The biggest respect we can pay Xabi is to be the best Liverpool
Programme notesVirgil van Dijk: We need to take Brighton positives into Leverkusen clash
Champions LeagueThe opposition lowdown: Bayer Leverkusen