Mohamed Salah injury: Liverpool could miss his creativity as much as his goals
Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez won plaudits for their finishing against Bournemouth but Liverpool lose more than goals without Mohamed Salah; injured 31-year-old set to miss Premier League games against Chelsea, Arsenal, Burnley and potentially others
Comment and Analysis @nicholaspwright
Friday 26 January 2024 10:25, UK
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Liverpool's 4-0 win over Bournemouth, three days after Mohamed Salah had torn his hamstring at the Africa Cup of Nations, eased concerns over how his absence might impact Jurgen Klopp's team.
Even without their talisman, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez showed Liverpool boast formidable firepower, two goals each taking them to seven apiece in the Premier League this season.
The Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Fulham, three days after that, saw another forward get on the scoresheet as Luiz Diaz's early strike helped Liverpool clinch a place in the final.
Their contributions were timely. Even more so given Salah's injury has proved worse than first feared. But the Egyptian's absence still looms large. The underlying numbers show why.
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Liverpool's total of 1.57 expected goals at the Vitality Stadium actually fell well below their season average of 2.21. For context, they created far better chances in last month's goalless draw with Manchester United at Anfield (2.38 xG).
There was of course less pressure to create against Fulham after Diaz's strike gave them the comfort of a two-goal aggregate lead. But it is still worth noting they totalled only 0.78 expected goals.
None of it mattered in the end, of course, thanks to Jota and Nunez's ruthless finishing against Bournemouth and the
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