21 February 2023 , 20:49
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Mohamed Salah needed just 14 minutes to break two Liverpool records during Tuesday's Champions League clash against Real Madrid.
Jurgen Klopp's side stormed into a two-goal lead against the European champions thanks to Darwin Nunez's outrageous flick and Thibaut Courtois' howler, which allowed Salah to score a tap in. "As howlers go, that's a big one from Courtois," tweeted Gary Lineker. Bizarrely, Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson made a similar error 22 minutes later.
Salah assisted Nunez's goal to register his 13th assist for Liverpool in the Champions League, more than any other player in the club's successful history. Furthermore, the Egyptian's strike was his 42nd for Liverpool in the competition - breaking Steven Gerrard's record.
And the records do not stop there for Salah. He now has 44 goals in the Champions League, equalling Didier Drogba's record for the most scored by an African player. Salah will be confident of going beyond the Chelsea legend sooner rather than later.
Although Salah made history on Tuesday night, he will have to share the headlines with Nunez. The Uruguayan, who has faced criticism since his summer transfer from Benfica, got on the end of Salah's smart cross to flick the ball beyond Courtois.
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Mirror Football's David Maddock described the finish as "filthy" - in a good way - and it is hard to disagree with him. Other fans on social media have described it as "cheeky", while Lineker wrote: "Fabulous goal from Nunez and the perfect start for Liverpool."
Mohamed Salah took advantage of Thibaut Courtois' mistake (UEFA via Getty Images)Where does Mohamed Salah rank among Liverpool legends? Let us know in the comments below!
Alan Shearer, meanwhile, told BBC Radio 5 Live: "What a goal, what a finish! Salah whips that ball in, and the little flick from Darwin Nunez. I said Liverpool would start quick but I didn't think it would be that quick."
Salah then broke his second record of the night when Courtois mixed up his feet, allowing the Liverpool forward to score a simple goal. The error has been compared to the one Loris Karius made for Liverpool against Real in the 2018 Champions League final.
Shearer added: "What a huge error that is! Thibaut Courtois isn't under pressure but he foolishly decided to take another touch and get it all wrong. It falls for Mohamed Salah and he says, 'Thank you kindly'."
Salah, 30, now has 19 goals this season, with eight of those coming in the Champions League. Nunez, 23, is also enjoying a solid European campaign - finding the net four times.
Liverpool boss Klopp will not be getting carried away, as there is still a long way to go in this last-16 Champions League tie. Real have knocked the Reds out of Europe three times during the previous five seasons, with two of those defeats coming in a final.
Real have already levelled the tie, with Vinicius Junior scoring a brace. The second of those goals was quite remarkable, as Alisson emulated Courtois by smashing the ball into Vinicius.