As the beaming Liverpool players strolled off the Etihad turf the jubilant away fans burst into their second rendition of "we're gonna win the league, and now you’re gonna believe us, we're gonna win the league".
The first time it had been sung, with around five minutes to go, it was tentative. Almost fearful - as if it was wrong. Not all of the three tiers of Liverpool fans joined in. Undoubtedly, some won't until it's mathematically possible that Liverpool have secured their 20th league title. They've been here before, losing the title by one point, at times slipping away, at times others failing to slip.
But once the final whistle blew, and Arne Slot's side had secured their first away league win over Manchester City since 2015, the away support was no longer tentative. They sang with gusto and defiance. The belief is palpable now, and it is belief that stems from the obscene brilliance of Mo Salah.
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah is proving he must be favourite for Ballon D'or
For many, Salah is missing the spark and flair of players like Eden Hazard or Cristiano Ronaldo during his time at Manchester United. Whilst his output should make this argument worthless, it is also a narrative that is simply untrue. On numerous occasions against City Salah plucked the ball from the air with the ease and arrogance of a player whose self-belief is sky-high.
A trivela pass, which he has mastered this season, put Luis Diaz through in the second half, and on another day, the 2018 and 2022 PFA Player of the Year could have had two assists. His footwork at times was sublime, non-more so than when leaving Josko Gvardiol flailing at mid-air in his part for Liverpool’s second goal.
40 - Mohamed Salah is the first player in Premier League history to be involved in 40+ goals in two different seasons.42 in 2017/18 (32 goals, 10 assists)40 in 2024/25 (25 goals, 15 assists).Legend. pic.twitter.com/CCV0j3lYN6February 23, 2025
After the match, the Egyptian, who ranked at No.1 in FourFourTwo's list of the best Premier League wingers of all time, refused to be embroiled in discussions of whether he has ever played this well. He said: “I don't know. It is opinion. Maybe people prefer my first seasons or now but I prefer now because winning the league, helping the young players, it is special”. Mirroring the joyous Liverpool fans, it is the first sign this season that Slot’s players know the league is theirs for the taking.
At 32 Salah's ability to leave players' trailing in his wake is still there. He doesn't utilise it as often as he once did, but that is deliberate. He quite clearly understands that he only needs two or three moments across 90 minutes. And in those moments, he is inevitable.
The league leaders had just 34% possession, the lowest of any match this season, meaning Salah’s defensive duties had more weight than usual, and he had to deliver in the few chances he was given. Slot was quick to praise both Salah’s work rate and his astonishing output.
The Liverpool manager said: “Today there wasn’t that many moments we could bring him in promising positions, but these seven, eight, nine or 10 moments that we gave him the ball in those positions he was every time a threat and that probably tells you even more the quality player he is, because it’s not so easy for an attacker if he has to defend, defend, defend.
“And then he gets the ball and does something special, that’s sometimes difficult but at the moment not many things seem difficult for Mo.”
If we are not linking him to the Ballon d'Or then it is getting out of hand. We have to start putting him in that conversation.
Former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge
It is those moments, particularly this season, that means the narrative surrounding Salah must be moved up a level. Gone are the days of comparisons with Hazard. Salah is simply an all-time great, and perhaps even the third greatest forward of this generation, behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo alone.
Some will scoff at the mention of Salah alongside such names. Yet Salah has scored and assisted in 11 league games this season - the most by any player in one of Europe's big five leagues since Messi did it 11 times for Barcelona in 2014/15. Going off Salah’s current form if he were to break Messi’s record, against Newcastle later this week in the Premier League, nobody would be shocked.
He is also the first-ever player to accumulate 40 goal contributions in two separate Premier League seasons. They are the numbers of a player who seems determined to become the second-ever African to win the Ballon d’Or. In fact, he is favourite for the prestigious award. As Andy Robertson put it Salah is “playing out of his skin”.
Yet, as Slot himself proclaimed, “this result was more about defence than attack”. Salah may steal the headlines, and rightly so, but Liverpool’s unwavering defence was crucial. With Manchester City chipping away at Alisson’s goal, the solidity of Ibrahima Konate and Virgil Van Dijk ensured the home side’s dominance in possession was futile.
As with all champions, there seems to be no major weakness for Liverpool. Dominik Szoboszlai was Gerrard-esque in midfield, and lay face down at full-time, shattered after a 90-minute stint of exceptional ball-carrying, harassing and tackling. Three goals in his last seven starts have brought Szoboszlai the plaudits he was previously missing, but he has been a vital cog to this purring Liverpool engine.
The Premier League trophy is well and truly on its way down the M62 towards Liverpool, and Mo Salah is its championship-winning driver.
