'This guy is exceptional' - Arsene Wenger simply blown away by Liverpool star after 'tensions'

Arsene Wenger insists that ‘exceptional’ Mo Salah has to be in the reckoning to win the Ballon d’Or after spearheading Liverpool’s victory over Manchester City.

Salah opened the scoring before assisting Dominik Szoboszlai’s strike in the 2-0 win at the Etihad Stadium. It moved the Reds 11 points clear of Arsenal at the summit of the Premier League table.

The winger has netted 30 goals in all competitions this season, while he moved joint-third on Liverpool’s all-time top scorer charts on 241 goals along with George Hodgson. Salah is leading the Reds to their 20th title in club history. His consistency in front of goal since signing from AS Roma in the summer of 2017 has been staggering and legendary former Arsenal manager Wenger believes the Egypt international has got better and better despite turning 33 in June.

‘This guy is exceptional’

Speaking on beIN Sport, Wenger said: “I would say tonight we see the game at half-time. What we have seen so many times in the modern game - 66 per cent possession for Manchester City, 2-0 for Liverpool. This is down to people who are a level above like Salah who scored a goal and made an assist.

“I read somewhere he contributed 38 goals and assists to 31 points for Liverpool this season. You cannot rule him out for any special award. This guy is exceptional. What I loved most in his career is he became better and better every year. He's more clinical. Less quantity today but doesn't lose in quality. That shows he is a very intelligent player.

Salah was previously part of a famous three-pronged attack along with Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino. Under former manager Jurgen Klopp, the Reds won six major trophies with the triumvirate blowing away defences across England and Europe.

But Wenger believes that Salah has improved since Mane’s exit from Anfield in the summer of 2022. He added: “I played against Salah when he created six chances and scored one goal. Today, he created two chances and scored two goals. What I like in his career, in his development, he has found a good balance between an obsession to score goals and giving the ball.

“Remember we had the period of him and Mane, there were tensions because everyone tried to score without passing the ball but he understands to be really great, he has to contribute and has done that extremely well.”

Slot’s verdict

Despite Liverpool having less of the ball than City, head coach Slot was delighted with how many dangerous positions his troops managed to find Salah in. He said: “What pleased me most today is that mostly we have – in every game apart from this one I think, and maybe the home game against City or Chelsea – more ball possession so that means we bring him many, many, many times in promising positions.

“But today there wasn’t that many moments we could bring him in promising positions, but these seven, eight, nine or 10 moments that we gave him the ball in those positions he was every time a threat and that probably tells you even more the quality player he is, because it’s not so easy for an attacker if he has to defend, defend, defend. And then he gets the ball and does something special, that’s sometimes difficult but at the moment not many things seem difficult for Mo.”