LIVERPOOL: Jurgen Klopp believes Mohamed Salah has not finished in his efforts to rewrite the Liverpool goalscoring record books after the Egyptian international took his tally for the season to 40 goals in a 3-0 Premier League victory over Bournemouth.
But the German manager also insists that Salah will not be distracted by his quest for the Golden Boot award, for the Premier League’s leading scorer, as Liverpool seek to end a memorable season by winning the Champions League.
Salah, in his first season at Anfield, became the first Liverpool player since Ian Rush in 1986-87 to reach the 40-goal mark and only the third from the club ever to reach that landmark after Rush and 1966 England World Cup winner Roger Hunt.
But Salah has reached his 40 quicker than either of his predecessors and, with potentially seven games remaining for his team, may yet challenge the all-time club record, currently held by Rush who scored 47 goals in a blistering 1983-84 campaign.
“Really it’s 31 years? He doesn’t look that old. He must have been 14 when he scored his 40 goals,” joked Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp about Rush, when told Salah had become the first Liverpool player since the Welshman to hit 40.
“But Mo knows what this means and the way we play suits him. For him, for the boys, it’s fantastic and today he certainly didn’t look like he doesn’t want to score in the next few games.
“It’s all about him, all about us and how we finish the season. Normally, in that situation, to be top of the goalscoring list at the end and win the Golden Boot, or whatever it’s called, means you have been successful as a team, but we can’t force it. But it’s good, impressive. What a number. Wow!“
There was certainly a “wow” factor about the manner in which Salah claimed his 40th, and the 30th in the league this season, after 69 minutes.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s hanging cross into the Bournemouth area allowed Salah to peel away from his marker Nathan Ake and flick the most perceptive of finishes with his head over keeper Asmir Begovic.
Either side of Salah’s goal were efforts from Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, taking their respective Liverpool tallies for the season to 25 and 17, meaning the prolific front three have now combined for an astonishing 82 goals between them this season.
Firmino’s 90th minute third goal made it 300 for Liverpool in well under three seasons since Klopp took over, but he insisted they can still improve in attacking areas by not always looking for Salah.
“What a number we’ve scored as team over the whole season,” added Klopp.
“That’s really good and we have to carry it on for a few games to come. I have seen the boys looking for Mo but we have to mix it up a little bit.
“He’s the threat but it’s good to analyze it with the boys afterwards, we show them and they listen. A lot of times we are in a position shooting and they cannot always give the ball to him. So we can still improve in this situation to use his threat and pass the ball somewhere else.”
With Anfield in the mood to celebrate the superb midweek Champions League victory over Manchester City, Mane gave the home crowd something to cheer about when he met a seventh minute cross from Jordan Henderson.
Begovic did well to save the initial header but Mane reacted quickly to blast in the loose ball.
And after Salah took center stage, Firmino rounded off a fine afternoon for the hosts when he converted clinically from 18 yards after being picked out by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Bournemouth took four points from Liverpool last season, but having been swept aside in both meetings this campaign, Eddie Howe believes Liverpool’s improvement makes them serious contenders to win the Champions League.
“Comparing Liverpool to last season, they have really improved, grown as a team, as they have shown through the season,” said Howe. “Of course they can win the Champions League.”
Mohamed Salah won’t stop at 40 for the season, says Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp
Mohamed Salah won’t stop at 40 for the season, says Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp
- Egyptian became first Liverpool player since Ian Rush to reach 40-goal mark
- Klopp: 'What a number. Wow'
Three LIV Golf wild card spots up for grabs in Florida
- Total of 22 players advance to weekend action, with chance to join 2026 LIV Golf League season
LECANTO, FLORIDA: While South Korea’s Jeunghun Wang and others at the top of Friday’s leaderboard at LIV Golf Promotions advanced comfortably into the weekend at Black Diamond Ranch, former wild card player Anthony Kim faced an 8-foot birdie putt to decide his fate on the final hole.
Kim rolled in the putt, arguably his biggest clutch moment in the two years since returning to pro golf from a 12-year retirement, to shoot a 1-under 69 and make the cut on the number.
A total of 22 players among the field of 47 in the second round moved on to compete for the three open wild card positions for the 2026 LIV Golf League season. Scores will now reset for the final 36 holes.
Kim is one of seven players Friday to sneak in on the number and is the only remaining American of the 12 who started the week in the field. His final birdie at the par-4 18th capped off a rollercoaster finish that included a chip-in to save par at the 13th hole after his tee shot found the water, along with bounce-back birdies after each of the two bogeys he made in the final five holes.
“We can talk about rollercoasters on the round today, but my life has been a pretty big rollercoaster, so this is pretty smooth for me,” said the 40-year-old Kim, who was exempt into the second round after suffering relegation on LIV Golf last season.
Another former LIV Golf player, Australian Matt Jones, is hoping to earn a wild card spot after playing all 50 LIV Golf tournaments as a member of Ripper GC during the first four seasons. Jones started strong on Friday and was 4 under at the turn before hanging on to shoot 69 after making three bogeys in a five-hole stretch to start his back nine.
Zimbabwe’s Kieran Vincent also advanced by shooting 69. Vincent is the only player in the field to have previous Promotions success, earning one of the three spots in 2023 that placed him on Jon Rahm’s expansion Legion XIII team in 2024.
Wang, meanwhile, continued his early-week success in LIV Golf Promotions, shooting a 5-under 65 to lead the field on Friday. In 2024, Wang shot the best opening round in Promotions and tied for third best in the following round but could not keep up the pace on the 36-hole final-day finish. He is glad to see the format change to 18 holes over two days this weekend.
“It’s more comfortable for me to play 18, 18,” said Wang, who was exempt from Round 1 due to his International Series status. “I’m really excited to play the next two days. I’ll just give it my best.”
Canadian Richard T. Lee, whose 6-under 64 was the lowest score in Thursday’s first round, followed with a 66 on Friday as one of Wang’s three closest pursuers. His round was fueled by eagles on both of the par-5 holes, with his 5-wood second shot at the ninth hole settling to 5 feet, and his 5-iron from a waste bunker at the 16th finished within 3 feet.
Like Wang, Lee has made the weekend for the second consecutive Promotions tournament but has not converted that into a LIV Golf spot.
“I played 6 under yesterday and 4 under, and I think that’s plenty good enough for this course,” said Lee, who is seeking to become the first Canadian player on LIV Golf.
Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana — who played in LIV Golf’s inaugural 2022 season — and Sweden’s Bjorn Hellgren matched Lee’s 66, while nine players shot 67.
As for Kim, he managed to survive-and-advance on a tough day after a performance he called a “5” on a scale to 10. But like the other 21 competitors still alive at Black Diamond Ranch, he is hoping to find some magic during the last 36 holes to earn one of the coveted LIV Golf spots.
“This is what I signed up for,” Kim said. “I’m glad that I got to be in that position and have to make a birdie to get into the next two rounds. There’s a long way to go, but I feel really good about it going into this weekend.”
