Liverpool began 2024 with a 4-2 win over Newcastle on New Year’s Day, securing a three-point lead at the top of the Premier League. Notably, Mohamed Salah was observed engaging in a superstitious act, which seemingly played a role in his successful late penalty against Newcastle.
Liverpool showcased dominance with an impressive 34 shots and a record-breaking expected goals of 7.27 during their match against Newcastle. This figure stands as the highest ever recorded since Opta began capturing such data in 2010.
Despite missing a first-half penalty, Salah quickly rectified his error by scoring the opening goal for Liverpool. However, Alexander Isak responded with an equaliser for Newcastle.
Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo scored two goals, re-establishing Liverpool’s control. However, Sven Botman’s header against the run of play added tension to the ending of the match.
Salah secured the victory by converting his second spot-kick, awarded after Diogo Jota won a controversial late penalty for Liverpool.
Interestingly, fans on social media observed that Salah changed his boots at halftime, a move that coincided with his second-half performance and successful penalty after the miss in the first half.
After the game, the Egyptian forward was asked on Sky Sports if his change of boots was down to superstition: “The ones I missed a penalty with, I just trained with them yesterday. It’s not superstition but I wanted to change them. I just changed them and it made my mind calm.”