Mohamed Salah scored his 250th goal for Liverpool as the Premier League champions ended a run of four successive league defeats with a 2-0 victory against Aston Villa at Anfield. The win lifted Arne Slot's side to third in the table and eased the pressure on the head coach after a difficult run of six defeats in seven games.
Salah opened the scoring in the first half after a calamitous error by Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, who had won the World Cup with Argentina. Ryan Gravenberch added a second goal later in the match to secure a deserved victory against Unai Emery's in-form team.
Slot hailed Salah's achievement and performance, saying: 'It is huge. It is almost unbelievable if you score 250 goals, let alone 250 goals for one club. You don't see that much in football any more. Apart from the goal he had a very good performance. For him to score is not special but 250 is special.'
Salah admitted he had not been happy with his own performances this season but insisted Liverpool would return to form. 'I said at the beginning it is a very tricky season for us,' he said. 'We have a few new players, very good signings, but they need time to adapt to the team and we lost a few good players as well. We just need time to adapt and know each other's games and we will be fine.'
Slot thanked the Anfield crowd for singing his name during a difficult moment and for their support. 'I'm happy with what I saw not only from the players but also the support we got from the fans was what we needed,' he said. 'These are the margins we are talking about.'
Unai Emery lamented Martínez's mistake but took responsibility for the error. 'We try to play with personality and take good positioning. It was easy for Salah. It was a huge mistake but it is my responsibility and I accept it,' the Villa manager said.
