African players in Europe: Salah starts and scores as Reds win

Mohamed Salah was restored to the Liverpool starting line-up after a public spat with manager Jurgen Klopp and scored the opening goal in a 4-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.The Egyptian said last weekend there would be “fire” if he spoke to the media about his frustration after being named as a substitute at West Ham.Salah, who suffered a loss of form after being injured last January at the Africa Cup of Nations, looked more like his old self against Spurs at Anfield.

Take a look at the African headline-makers in the major European leagues:

ENGLAND

MOHAMED SALAH (Liverpool)

Salah scored from open play for the first time in nine games as the third-placed Reds beat Tottenham. Salah’s recent slump in form has played a major part in Liverpool’s Premier League title challenge coming off the rails. Apart from scoring his 25th goal of the season with a header, he also played a part in goals for Andy Robertson and Cody Gakpo.

NICOLAS JACKSON (Chelsea)

Jackson struck twice in Chelsea’s 5-0 rout of West Ham to take his tally in his first season in west London to 16 goals despite an inconsistent record in front of goal. The Senegalese striker’s 13 non-penalty goals in the Premier League is better than Salah, teammate Cole Palmer and Arsenal’s Kai Havertz, who have been tipped as player of the year candidates. Jackson slotted home twice in the second half at Stamford Bridge to round off a Chelsea rout.

SPAIN

BRAHIM DIAZ (Real Madrid)

The recently-converted Moroccan international midfielder played a vital role as Real Madrid virtually sealed their title triumph with a 3-0 win over Cadiz. Diaz opened the scoring in the second half with a sublime individual effort, curling a shot home from the edge of the box. Real were confirmed champions later on Saturday when Barcelona lost to Girona.

INAKI WILLIAMS (Athletic Bilbao)

Ghana striker Inaki Williams kept Athletic’s slim hopes of reaching next season’s Champions League alive with a brace at Getafe, with both goals set up by his brother Nico. The forward whipped a strike into the far corner from distance before completing the 2-0 win with a clinical finish early in the second half.

ITALY

CALEB EKUBAN (Genoa)

The Italy-born Ghana striker was on target with a towering header just after half-time as Genoa led AC Milan 2-1 before settling for a deserved 3-3 draw. Ekuban, who once had a brief but injury-hit spell with Leeds United, has scored four goals this season.

GERMANY

VICTOR BONIFACE (Bayer Leverkusen)

Boniface came off the bench to put the icing on the cake in Leverkusen’s 5-1 rout of Eintracht Frankfurt. Replacing Patrik Schick after 61 minutes, Boniface stepped up to the spot in the final minute of regular time after Jeremie Frimpong was fouled and nervelessly converted.

SILAS (Stuttgart)

Silas came off the bench with 11 minutes remaining to create a goal, then score himself as Stuttgart beat Bayern Munich 3-1. After his cross allowed Wooyeong Jeong to nod the home side in front, Silas received the ball from Guinea international Serhou Guirassy in added time and blasted a low shot into the net.

FRANCE

YASSINE KECHTA (Le Havre)

Moroccan midfielder Kechta scored twice as Le Havre defeated Strasbourg 3-1 in a major boost to their survival hopes. His two goals were memorable as both came from headers — an impressive performance as the France-born 22-year-old Morocco youth international stands just 1.70m (5ft 7ins).

Photo: Twitter @AnfieldSector

SOUTH AFRICA