Mohamed Salah will be aiming to end an eight-year wait for a goal at Wembley when Liverpool face Crystal Palace in the Community Shield on Saturday. The Egyptian forward has not scored at the stadium since October 2017, a run of seven appearances without finding the net.
Salah’s only goal at Wembley came in a 4-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in a Premier League match. Since then, he has played at the venue in several Community Shields, FA Cup semi-finals and finals, and two Carabao Cup finals, all without scoring. The most recent was the Carabao Cup final defeat to Newcastle United in March.
The 33-year-old’s struggles extend beyond Wembley. In seven major cup finals for Liverpool, excluding Community Shields and European Super Cups, he has scored just one goal—a penalty in the 2019 Champions League final against Tottenham—and has not provided an assist. He is yet to score from open play in any of those finals.
However, Salah’s record against Crystal Palace is encouraging. He has scored nine goals in 14 appearances against the Eagles for Liverpool, including one in the 1-1 draw at Anfield on the final day of last season. Liverpool are favourites to win the Community Shield, facing a Palace side that lifted the FA Cup last season.
