Salah laps up contract acclaim - now Van Dijk may follow 'next week'

While any player's worth to a football team has to be measured in more than statistics, Mohamed Salah's goal and assist numbers show exactly why he is worth pretty much any amount of money a week for Liverpool.

With his assist for Luis Diaz to open the scoring against West Ham on Sunday, Salah has now been directly involved in 45 Premier League goals this season - netting 27 and providing another 18.

This is a new record for a player in a 38-game season, surpassing Thierry Henry from 2002-03 and Erling Haaland's total two years ago. Salah is now 15 goal involvements clear of any other player in Europe's top five leagues in 2024-25.

Sunday also showed how important Alisson and Virgil van Dijk are as Liverpool close in on the league title - but without Salah, there most likely would be no title at all.

With their second league title of the Premier League era seemingly sewn up weeks ago, the latter part of Liverpool's season has been largely focused on three key players out of contract in the summer.

While Trent Alexander-Arnold seems Real Madrid-bound and Van Dijk is yet to formally sign a new deal, the future of Salah was secured this week to the joy of Liverpool fans.

His performance on Sunday illustrated just why Liverpool were so keen to persuade him to turn down the millions of Saudi Arabia and stay on Merseyside, and just why the fans were so thrilled he did so.

"Mo Salah, Mo Salah, running down the wing," was the chant for much of the game while, when his name was announced in the pre-match line-up, it got one of the biggest cheers of the afternoon.

And in the 18th minute, Salah responded with a beautifully played pass with the outside of his left boot, which was cleverly left by Diogo Jota to allow Diaz to slot home.

It was a record-breaking assist for Salah, one which helped move Liverpool to within six points of a Premier League title - and their first won in front of fans following their triumph in the Covid-affected season in 2020.

"When we won it we won it in lockdown," Salah told Sky Sports after the game. "So let's go for it and win it."

Sunday was a game of three phases for Liverpool. The first half was the Salah phase, in which his brilliance put the Reds ahead and could have led to a goal or two more.

The second phase was that of Alisson, whose brilliance between the sticks ultimately earned Liverpool the win more than any other factor. He missed the defeat at Fulham with concussion, and conclusively proved his importance here.

And the final, shortest but most dramatic phase belonged to Van Dijk. After Liverpool were pegged back, the captain rose highest to meet an 89th-minute corner, score the winner and send both the Reds fans and manager Arne Slot into raptures.

"As a manager you are looking for the ones who have achieved a lot already in their careers to step up," Slot said in his post-match media conference. "It is always at the end of the season that the moments get bigger and bigger.

"Alisson had his best game of the season today, Virgil scored the header and Mo was again important, he was lively in the first half - we saw the Mo Salah again from the first part of the season."

With Salah signed up and Alexander-Arnold seemingly out the door, attention now turns to the future of Van Dijk - and the Egyptian was making eyes at his captain after the game.

"I'm glad that we managed to do it before the end of the season and hopefully Virgil soon will be nice," Salah told Sky Sports. "He can do whatever he wants but I would love to see him here again next year."

Van Dijk, who marked his 100th match as Liverpool captain in the most dramatic fashion possible, dropped a hint of his own.

"Everyone knows how much I love this club so let's see what next week will look like," he said.

Asked about this, Slot played a forward defensive of which England cricketing legend Sir Alastair Cook would be proud.

"I think he means, let's see what next week brings when we play Leicester City," he said, to chuckles from the assembled journalists.

"By far the most important thing this club is looking at is two more wins.

"We should be completely focused on that, my full focus is on Leicester and I'm sure Virgil's is as well."

Slot is right to make sure his team are fully focused on the present task. They were below par against West Ham, who had most of the second-half momentum and twice hit the woodwork.

But the job could be done next weekend, if Arsenal lose at Ipswich and Liverpool beat Leicester.

Should the Gunners and the Reds go perfect in their upcoming games, Liverpool would win the title in their next home league game against Spurs - at the end of the month.

Slot, for his part, is not fussy about where the trophy is secured. "If I have to win it 50km from here or wherever, I don't care where to win it. We still have to win two more games," he said.

But he would love to have Van Dijk's future officially resolved before the Dutchman lifts that trophy, to go alongside the priceless signature of Salah.