Having scored just once in his previous 10 appearances for Liverpool, a showdown against Chelsea was the perfect opportunity for Mohamed Salah to silence his critics.

Not only was it a huge game in the title race, after Manchester City had seized control by beating Crystal Palace, but for Salah, it was also a reunion with his former club.

Chelsea signed Salah in 2014 but he failed to secure a regular spot in the line-up and was loaned out to Fiorentina and Roma before signing permanently with the Stadio Olimpico club in 2016.

He’s since returned to the Premier League a completely different player, winning the PFA Player of the Year award after scoring 32 goals in 2017-18.

His rise has come as a surprise to many who saw him at Chelsea, including Ashley Cole.

When asked if he expected Salah’s rise, Cole, a pundit on Sky Sports on Sunday, said: “To be honest, no.”

The former Chelsea left-back added: “I saw in training the ability that he had but he seems to have become more ruthless.”

When Salah cut inside against Shrewsbury...

Chelsea fans don’t have many fond memories from Salah’s time at Stamford Bridge and perhaps the most memorable moment is when he attempted a shot that was so off target that it went out for a throw-in.

It came against Shrewsbury in the League Cup in 2014. Salah cut in from the right and thrashed a left-footed effort towards goal, only to skew it wide.

The build up was similar to his goal against Chelsea in Liverpool’s 2-0 win on Sunday. Thankfully for the Reds, the outcome was very different.

Despite many feeling as though Salah’s level has dipped, he finds himself firmly in the mix to win the Premier League Golden Boot for a second straight season.

The 26-year-old has scored 19 goals, the same number as Sergio Aguero and one more than teammate Sadio Mane.

Not bad for a ‘down’ year.