Liverpool manager Arne Slot paid tribute to Mohamed Salah after his 250th goal for the club helped stop the rot with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday night.
The Reds came into the match with their Premier League title defence on the ropes after four successive defeats amid a wider run of six losses in seven games in all competitions.
But Salah’s landmark strike just before half-time, courtesy of a blunder from Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, and Ryan Gravenberch’s deflected effort after the break, earnt the Reds their first league win since September 20.
It has been a difficult start to the season for Salah, who was gifted his goal having been presented with an empty net after a rogue Martinez pass, but he became just the third Reds player to score 250 for the club, following in the footsteps of Ian Rush and Roger Hunt.
Salah's goal was his 188th in the Premier League. He has also scored 11 in the cups, and 51 in Europe.
“That’s almost unbelievable. If you score 250 goals, it is already unbelievable, let alone for one club,” Slot said. “You don’t see that much in football anymore.
“And I think, apart from the goal he scored tonight, he had a very good performance.
“What I also liked is that he didn’t only do his offensive work really well, but he helped the team out defensively as well.
“This combination of things led to the fact that I liked his performance tonight.
“And of course, it’s special for him to score his 250th. For him to score, it’s not even that special, because that’s what we all know he will always do.”
The Dutchman, who was facing the first questions of his Anfield reign, received unequivocal backing from the crowd throughout the match.
“It meant a lot especially because it happened at 0-0. So, not when you are leading and not when you are top of the league, but when you’re in a difficult situation as a club, as a team, and because I’m part, definitely a part of that, it’s also difficult situation for me.
“And then to get the support the players got, but also I got that, is something what makes this club special.
“I think they don’t forget if you’ve been part of something special, and they help you, especially if things are difficult, and that’s what it was.
“The last few weeks, things were difficult. And so they felt, the players, maybe even me, needed a bit of support, and that’s what you get them from these fans.
“I think you always feel pressure if you’re at Liverpool. If you’re leading the table with 15 games to go, you feel pressure.
“And if you are in the run of form that we were in, you feel the pressure.
“But I’ve always felt the support of the fans as long as I’m here, and also in the recent results, I have never felt that there was anything less than it was before.”
Villa hit the woodwork twice inside the opening 20 minutes and things might have been different had one of those efforts gone in, but their four-match winning run ended partly because of Martinez’s error.
Boss Unai Emery said: “We try to play with personality through our structures and through our rules.
“It was easy for Salah. It was a huge mistake, but it was something in our process and my responsibility. I accept it.
“We build the team here through the style we want to keep in our process in the club and our next matches.
“Of course, we must avoid huge mistakes like today. But it is part of our process.
“We are going to analyse and identify how we build in these circumstances for the next matches.
“Through it we are are feeling comfortable and strong through our idea.”
