Mohamed Salah’s record-breaking winner at Burnley masks bigger problem for reigning PFA Player of the Year

Last Updated on 15 September 2025

Liverpool left it late, again, to grab all three points against Burnley and made it four wins in four.

Scott Parker’s Burnley put on a defensive clinic at Turf Moor, keeping the Premier League champions at bay for 93 minutes.

Unfortunately for the Clarets, it was substitute, Hannibal Mejbri, who blocked a cross from Jeremie Frimpong with his arm.

That resulted in a late penalty, which Mohamed Salah converted to give Liverpool a narrow win after a tough evening.

Mohamed Salah’s frustrations continue despite moving to fourth in all-time Premier League scoring charts

Converting match-winning penalties, especially in stoppage time, is no easy feat.

But given the standards Salah has set over the years during his time at Anfield, it’s safe to say, the Egyptian hasn’t started the 2025/26 campaign with his usual swagger.

That’s a bizarre statement when you look at the numbers that matter: two goals and an assist in four games. And, more importantly, a 188th goal in the Premier League, moving clear of Andy Cole to become the outright fourth-highest top-scorer in league history.

Why are we even pretending that there is a problem?

Well, a closer look at the performances and a deeper dive into the numbers paints a different story.

Based on solely the eye test, Salah is being involved far less than he usually is.

A lot of that has to do with Liverpool’s attacks going down the left-hand side, this season. Their exciting £100m man, Florian Wirtz, and Cody Gakpo occupy those zones a lot more than Dominik Szoboszlai and Luis Diaz did, last season.

Even Hugo Ekitike has a natural left-sided bias, ensuring Liverpool are more left-side heavy than they have been in the last seven years or so.

That has had an obvious impact on Salah, who plays from the right, as he mustered up a meagre total of 1.13 xG so far this season. Compared to the rest of the league, 23 players have accumulated more xG than Salah, as per Understat.

This reflects in Salah averaging just over 1 shot per game. Last season, he was recording well over 3.

How will Alexander Isak’s introduction impact Mohamed Salah?

For Arne Slot, though, the writing’s on the wall. He needs to do everything he can to accommodate his PFA Player of the Year and ensure he’s involved more than he has been, so far, this season.

However, with Alexander Isak set to make his debut, it’s only going to get a lot tougher for the Dutchman to find a system that suits all of his attacking players.

Fortunately for him, Liverpool also begin their 3 games per week routine with Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, up next, on Wednesday.

That will open the door for more rotation with Isak expected to make his debut this week.

Either way, even with four wins from four, Slot will know the performances haven’t been great.

And as he looks to find a way to make a system befitting his unbelievably stacked offense, maybe the answer isn’t as complex as everyone thinks.

All you do is hand the keys to Salah and let others find their way around him.

After all, it’s easy to forget that while Liverpool’s no.11 is a phenomenal goalscorer, he’s also an outrageous creator.

Since making his debut for the Reds in 2017/18, Salah’s only had two seasons where he didn’t get at least 10 assists in a Premier League campaign.

Those numbers are impossible to argue with and they might be the key to unlocking fluid football at Anfield: just give Mo Salah the ball…