Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp called a Mohamed Salah goal against Arsenal at the weekend “absolutely amazing” as the Egyptian once again stole the show among Africans in the major European leagues.
The reigning African Footballer of the Year fired into the corner of the net after a run from close to the halfway line as the Reds triumphed 3-1 to top the Premier League table.
Salah has recovered impressively with Liverpool after being part of the Egyptian team stunned by South Africa in Cairo at the last-16 stage of the Africa Cup of Nations during July.
ENGLAND
MOHAMED SALAH (Liverpool)
The Egypt forward produced a masterpiece in a 3-1 win over Arsenal as he scored an early contender for goal of the season. With Liverpool two goals up after Cameroon defender Joel Matip’s header and Salah’s penalty, the star man took possession just inside the Arsenal half and weaved his magic. Accelerating away from David Luiz and Nacho Monreal, Salah burst into the penalty area and fired home to ensure leaders Liverpool extended their 100 percent start to the season.
JORDAN AYEW (Crystal Palace)
The Ghana forward bagged his first goal of the season to help Palace claim their first league win at Manchester United since 1989. Ayew scored the opener in the first half of the 2-1 triumph, latching on to Jeffrey Schlupp’s flick-on and coolly converting Palace’s first goal of the campaign.
MOUSSA DJENEPO (Southampton)
The Mali winger made a stunning impact with his first Premier League goal to set the Saints on course for a 2-0 win at south-coast rivals Brighton. Djenepo, a close season signing from Standard Liege, had been on the pitch as a substitute for just 78 seconds when he cut in from the left to bury the ball into the top-right corner from the edge of the area.
SPAIN
KARL TOKO EKAMBI (Villarreal)
The Cameroonian laid on the assist for Gerard Moreno to open the scoring for Villarreal, but could not stop Levante coming from behind to win 2-1. Midfielder Toko Ekambi slid a perfect pass for Moreno to finish in the third minute at the City of Valencia Stadium but two Roger Marti penalties in the second half gave Levante victory.
ITALY
CHRISTIAN KOUAME (Genoa)
Ivorian Kouame grabbed a point for Genoa in a hard-fought 3-3 draw against Roma in the Stadio Olimpico. The 21-year-old’s diving header on 70 minutes wrapped up the scoring and earned him his fifth Serie A goal.
KEVIN-PRINCE BOATENG (Fiorentina)
Former Ghana international Boateng scored his first goal for new club Fiorentina in a 4-3 defeat by Napoli. The 32-year-old arrived from Serie A rivals Sassuolo during the close season after a loan spell with Barcelona. He scored the third Fiorentina goal to pull them level, but the Serie A runners-up snatched victory two minutes later.
GERMANY
IHLAS BEBOU (Hoffenheim)
The Togolese forward scored his first league goal for new club Hoffenheim in a 3-2 win over Werder Bremen, smashing in a loose ball inside the area to put his team 2-1 up on the hour mark.
BABACAR GUEYE (Paderborn)
The Senegalese forward made his first Bundesliga appearance, coming on as a substitute in Paderborn’s 3-1 loss to Freiburg. Gueye, who came up the ranks at neighbours Hanover before stints in France and Belgium, scored eight goals for Paderborn in the second tier last season.
FRANCE
ERIC MAXIM CHOUPO-MOTING (Paris Saint-Germain)
The Cameroonian international stepped up with a fine double for PSG as they saw Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe both hobble off injured in a 4-0 thrashing of Toulouse. Former Stoke forward Choupo-Moting will always be remembered for his shocking miss against Strasbourg last season, but his first goal on Sunday will also live in the memory as he beat two defenders before lashing into the net.
ISLAM SLIMANI (Monaco)
The Algeria striker marked his Monaco debut with a goal but could not prevent his new team blowing a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Nimes. Slimani, on loan from Leicester, cut inside to give Monaco a 39th-minute lead before they imploded in the second half.
