Mohamed Salah’s unrivalled Sky Sports Fantasy Football points tally fails to comply with the perception of a close-knit duel for the PFA Player of the Year award with Kevin De Bruyne.
The pair surfaced as undisputed frontrunners for the accolade in months before the ceremony, with Salah’s prolific form eventually prevailing over De Bruyne’s exquisite and notably title-winning service.
Liverpool’s summer signing wouldn’t be denied another deserved landmark after surpassing 40 goals across all competitions to exceed expectations beyond belief.
The Egyptian now boasts a once-unimaginable total of 43, 31 of which have arrived in the Premier League to leave him just three short of equalling the record 34 Andy Cole and Alan Shearer notched in their respective 42-game campaigns.
Salah is now also just four shy of the 47 goals Anfield great Ian Rush fired on his way towards legendary status over the 1983/1984 season.
In a more modern take, the forward has trounced the season-high totals of both Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez to propel himself into the conversation of Liverpool’s most deadly goal-scorers in the Premier League era.
Interestingly, Salah has also complimented his goals with 10 assists to become the first player in England’s top tier to achieve double figures in both this season.
His proven influence in orchestrating Liverpool’s attacks alongside finishing them off undoubtedly contributed in him in fending off De Bruyne.
Such figures are also testament to the detailed analysis of the Reds’ scouting operation in regards to how compatible his traits have been with Jurgen Klopp’s counterattacking system and interchanging approach.
To overcome a player in De Bruyne who has recorded 16 assists and scored eight times in City’s surge towards the Premier League title, is a glaring sign of Salah’s incredible impression on Merseyside.
Pep Guardiola’s Belgian string-puller has been a magnificent servant to Sergio Aguero’s typically clinical form and the striking improvement of Raheem Sterling in the final-third.
His standout Game Week arrived on the final day of January as he amassed 18 points thanks to a goal, an assist and a Sky Sports Man of the Match award in City’s 3-0 win over West Brom.
That marked one of 13 games in which the 26-year-old mustered at least 10 points and a stark reflection of his consistency.
As for Salah, his four-goal Man of the Match performance in Liverpool’s 5-0 win over Watford earned him a season-high 36 points and arrived as one of 17 double-figure points weeks.
This included a remarkable streak of four games in November that saw Salah record 21 points against West Ham, 19 against Southampton, 13 against Chelsea and 18 against Stoke.
An extraordinary accumulation of points also represents the highest on Sky Sports Fantasy Football record.
Unrelenting impact has been met with unrelenting appreciation, with the 25-year-old picking up three PFA Player of the Month awards and three Premier League Player of the Month awards.
The sheer velocity of goals and his progress since a difficult spell with Chelsea in 2014 makes him worth the reputation as English football’s best this year.
By Cameron Hogwood
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