It was a disappointing weekend in the Premier League for Mohamed Salah as Liverpool suffered a 3 0 defeat at home to Nottingham Forest.
The Egyptian forward has managed just four goals in the league this season, with his last strike coming in a win over Aston Villa on November 1.
Liverpool’s loss left the team in 11th place after 12 matches, having already lost six games. Salah, who won the Premier League Golden Boot last season with 29 goals, has struggled to find the net consistently in the current campaign. Meanwhile, Manchester City’s Norwegian striker Erling Haaland leads the Golden Boot chart with 14 goals, and the top African scorer is Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo with six goals.
In other Premier League action, Nigerian Samuel Chukwueze came off the bench to provide a perfectly weighted cross that set up Raul Jimenez’s late goal, securing a 1 0 win for Fulham over Sunderland. Fellow Nigerians Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi were in the starting lineup, contributing to the Cottagers’ success.
Burnley also fielded African talent with South African striker Lyle Foster and Tunisian midfielder Hannibal Mejbri brought on as substitutes in their 2 1 defeat to Chelsea. Despite their efforts, the visitors could not prevent Chelsea from extending their lead and securing victory, leaving Burnley second in the table behind Arsenal.
In Germany, Senegalese forward Nicolas Jackson scored Bayern Munich’s fifth goal in a remarkable 6 2 comeback win over Freiburg. After trailing by two goals, Bayern rallied to score six unanswered goals, with Jackson claiming his second league goal of the season and fourth overall. Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba also continued his scoring form, netting his third goal in seven games during a 3 1 win over Wolfsburg.
French league matches highlighted African contributions as well. Burkina Faso defender Ismaelo Ganiou scored the winner for Lens in a 1 0 victory over Strasbourg, while Guinea striker Morgan Guilavogui was sent off late in the same match. Veteran Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opened scoring in Marseille’s 5 1 rout of Nice, and Moroccan Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal helped Rennes secure a 4 1 win over Monaco, moving them above their rivals in the standings.
