How will Mohamed Salah remember the 2021-22 season? He hardly featured in the club's run to an FA Cup and EFL Cup double – logging a total of just 243 minutes across those two competitions — but Salah registered incredible numbers in the Premier League and Champions League (31 goals and 16 assists in 48 appearances) while the Reds came up agonizingly short in both competitions.
Salah's year was also soured by defeat to Sadio Mané's Senegal in both the Africa Cup of Nations final and the CAF World Cup qualifying playoffs, both of which occurred after the new year.
Ultimately his numbers during the first half of the campaign slumped during the second half. After scoring eight goals in the first seven UCL matches of the season, Salah was held off the scoresheet in the final six, including Saturday's final against Real Madrid.
The Egyptian will be haunted by his near misses at the Stade de France, where Los Blancos rode goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to a 14th European title. Real won 1-0 despite only attempting four shots with two on target. Salah himself had nine shots with six on target.
The 29-year-old outlined how important this rematch of the 2018 final was with a pointed tweet that read "we have a score to settle," but instead of Sergio Ramos ruining his day this time around, it was Courtois.
COURTOIS. BEAST MODE. pic.twitter.com/zACTW8ncyM
— Champions League final on CBS & Paramount+ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 28, 2022
Thibaut Courtois is putting in a SHIFT! pic.twitter.com/VXu5b3AQo9
— Champions League final on CBS & Paramount+ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 28, 2022
Thibaut Courtois denies Mo Salah. pic.twitter.com/jZAFpoK1tb
— Champions League final on CBS & Paramount+ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 28, 2022
With Salah, Mané and Roberto Firmino out of contract next summer, Liverpool's famed attacking trident is at an end.
