Football, being a game of tight margins, is unsurprisingly full of sliding doors moments.
This is true both on a micro level, where individual matches can be decided on seemingly innocuous moments, and on a macro level, where decisions off the field can come to have world-changing consequences in the medium to long term.
Against Watford, Mohamed Salah scored the goal that took him level with Chelsea legend Didier Drogba as the highest goal scorer of African extraction in Premier League history. For his 104th, the 29-year-old produced a moment of devilry that is increasingly becoming a calling card, bamboozling Watford’s defence with his whirring feet before cutting back onto his left and curling a finish inside the far corner.
“In this moment it is clear that there is no one better than him,” manager Jurgen Klopp gushed afterward. Salah’s celebration, his arms raised aloft and a cheeky grin on his face, suggested he agreed with the sentiment.
Since then, of course, Salah took his game to new heights - eviscerating Manchester United with a solo masterclass in which he netted a hat-trick to eclipse the Chelsea great and establish himself as Africa's all-time top scorer.
