Liverpool wing king Mohamed Salah wrote yet another chapter of history for the Merseyside giants with his stunning goal in the Reds' 2-0 Champions League win over Bologna at Anfield.
With Federico Chiesa sidelined due to a fresh fitness problem, Salah held his place on the right for the visit of the Rossoblu, whom Liverpool were meeting for the first time in competitive action.
Arne Slot's side quickly carved their visitors open and drew first blood through Alexis Mac Allister, who met a fine Salah cross to tap in at the back stick with just 11 minutes played.
Liverpool did not have it all their way as the game progressed, though, as Dan Ndoye struck the woodwork twice for Bologna, while Alisson Becker was forced into some big saves.
However, Bologna just lacked that killer instinct in the final third, which Salah provided for Liverpool with 15 minutes remaining, achieving an unprecedented feat in the process.
Salah sets new Liverpool goalscoring record in Bologna win
There's no stopping that 👑
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 2, 2024
Mo Salah with an incredible left-footed strike into the top corner 🎯
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/Qy7y08pCzL
The Egyptian squared up to two Bologna defenders on the right-hand side of the box, but Trent Alexander-Arnold's overlapping run bought Salah space and time to cut inside and pick out the far corner.
In doing so, Salah became the first-ever Liverpool player to find the back of the net in five successive home matches in the Champions League, having scored in all four such fixtures in the 2022-23 season.
That year, the former Chelsea and Roma star bagged goals against Rangers, Ajax, Napoli and Real Madrid in front of the Kop, and he last failed to score in a home Champions League game against Villarreal in April 2022.
While Salah is the first Liverpool man to score in five straight Champions League home games, he is not the first to do so for a Premier League club, as two distinguished strikers for Arsenal and Manchester United previously achieved the feat.
Indeed, Thierry Henry scored in seven successive Champions League home matches for Arsenal from 2001 to 2002, while Ruud van Nistelrooy did so six times in a row for Manchester United from 2002 to 2003.
Arne Slot also makes history for Liverpool
© Imago
Salah was not the only Liverpool man to etch his name into the club's annals on Wednesday, as Slot became the first-ever Reds coach to win eight of his first nine matches in charge of the club.
The Dutchman has also masterminded victories over AC Milan, Brentford, Bournemouth, Ipswich Town, Manchester United, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, with the only blot on the notebook coming in a home defeat to Nottingham Forest.
With six points under their belt from two matches in the 2024-25 Champions League league phase, Liverpool sit fifth in the overall table, behind Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, Brest and Benfica on goal difference.
The Reds now have two full days to recover before heading to Crystal Palace for Saturday's early Premier League kickoff.
Ben Knapton
