Liverpool vs Huddersfield? Try Mohamed Salah vs Sadio Mane in race for Golden Boot

Against a team with just three wins all season, it was never a question of how, always only of how many.

In the end, it wasn’t Liverpool against Huddersfield or even against Manchester City’s goal difference…but Salah vs Mane and both vs the history books.

On a night which started with a record – the Reds’ fastest-ever Premier League goal, converted by Naby Keita after 15 seconds – the two strikers slugged it out in the battle to be this season’s leading scorer. And a remarkable bout it is.

It finished in an honourable draw on the evening, with two goals apiece on that count, Salah replying majestically to Mane’s excellence in front of goal, thanks a wonderful lob on the stroke of half time and then a second half tap in.

That took the Egyptian to 21 Premier League goals for the season and puts him ahead of his team-mate in the fight for the Golden Boot, with Mane’s 20 placing him a goal ahead of Sergio Aguero and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

It also ensures he has scored more than 20 league goals in consecutive seasons – only the third time that has been achieved by a Liverpool striker in the Premier League era. It is illustrious company too, the others being Luis Suarez and Robbie Fowler.

If it isn’t remarkable enough to have two forwards from one club slugging it out for the Golden Boot, then Salah typically added even more lustre by writing his most remarkable chapter yet in Anfield legend.

That second half strike ensured he beat Sam Raybould (from the early 1900s) and the legendary Roger Hunt to become the highest scorer ever after 100 games for the club…with 69 goals.

Just read that again, in case you missed it. Salah in less than two seasons has scored 69 goals for the Reds. And yet he is not good enough to be named in the PFA team of the year? Crazy.

At the end, as the dust settle on this scrap for the ages between the two friends and colleagues, it meant Liverpool go back to the top of the Premier League with a serious message to City.

Not only are they not going away, but they are going to press them ferociously. It is the 29th time the lead has changed hands at the top this season – another record -and now the pressure has been placed firmly on the Manchester club to make it 30 at the weekend.

Not only that, but Liverpool have closed the goal difference gap significantly – and that could still be significant.

That is how close it has become now in this epic title race. It is all about goals, with Liverpool under Klopp scoring 300 since he arrived, and 100 in consecutive seasons too, though City have 163. Which is mind-blowing.

Liverpool certainly provided plenty of them against a Huddersfield side who have lost 22 of their last 24 matches.

Keita started it all on 15 seconds – the second fastest in Liverpool’s history, when he forced a mistake from Stankovic and then slided onto a return pass from Salah to steer home.

Liverpool then survived a visiting team revival for 20 minutes, before Mane began his Golden Boot crusade, with a fine header from Andy Roberston’s wonderful left wing cross on 23 minutes.

The full back now has 11 assists in the Premier League – yet another record! – and 13 in all competitions, after providing that tap in for Salah later.

But his partner Trent Alexander-Arnold was not to be outdone, when he took his total to 11 for the whole campaign on the stroke of half time with a through ball which Salah converted in style.

After the break, it was a question of how many more records and how much Liverpool could close City’s goal difference advantage. It is down to three now, which is more pressure, thanks first to Mane heading brilliantly from a fine Jordan Henderson cross.

Then Salah got onto the end of another Robertson cross on 83 minutes to record his moment of legend. You wonder still though, if an even more glorious chapter in history is about to be written. This is Liverpool’s greatest season in history in terms of points per game. Surely that record deserves a title?