Liverpool held Manchester City to a 0-0 draw at Anfield as defences proved the difference in a game which saw the attackers struggle.

Mohamed Salah has been in the spotlight this season after failing to shine in the early months and he again suffered in Sunday’s clash.

Here, we take a closer look at the Egyptian’s performance.

STATISTICS

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30-SECOND REPORT

Against Napoli in midweek, Salah reached a personal nadir.

The Egyptian’s first touch resembled repelling magnets, his passing was wildly erratic while he often ran into blocked avenues to stifle Liverpool’s attacking threat.

Against City, he was once again frustrating but equal parts fantastic, too.

The touch and control was much closer to that of last season. He lso buzzed around the pitch with bags of energy, yet the disappointment arrived whenever he had a sight of goal.

He looked hungrier, but remains starved of goals in comparison to last season’s gluttony of 44 strikes in all competitions.

If you required a microcosm of his season so far, it arrived in the 68th minute when his sublime diagonal run from right to left saw him take in Andy Robertson’s pass off an awkward bounce, only to place his poor effort wide.

Regardless, he was Liverpool’s liveliest player. Even if he’s still not quite living up to the heights of last season.

GOT RIGHT

Energy – The biggest criticism of Salah in Naples was his lack of energy, both in attacking and defensive phases. Against City, he was far more vibrant. If only he could have matched his strong showing with confidence in front of goal.

Always available – When you’re out of form, it’s easy to recline into your shell and hide away from the ball. But credit to Salah who continued to try and make inroads and offer himself in dangerous positions, despite Benjamin Mendy’s own attacking impetus being strangled to marshall the Liverpool forward.

GOT WRONG

Finishing – No awards for guessing this would be mentioned. The complexion of Salah’s performance would be decidedly different had he finished two of the golden opportunities. One was trademark Salah in build-up and shadow Salah in the finish, as he cut inside onto his left but curled straight into the arms of Ederson. The other was previously mentioned shot from Robertson’s pass.

Passing – Aside from James Milner, who exited the game before the half hour through injury, Salah possessed the worst pass success rate of any Liverpool player in the starting XI with 71.4 per cent. Now this may point to him opting for riskier passes to help break down the City defence, or as was the case on occasion, it was simple balls going astray.

VERDICT

Promising, but still far from perfect. He was Liverpool’s best player from an attacking perspective – although that’s not the greatest barometer considering the performances of Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino. The blunt attack is something Jurgen Klopp must be very concerned about right now.

RATING: 6/10

All statistics are compiled using whoscored.com