The old Liverpool hero whom Salah matched on Sunday

Through his goal against Tottenham on Sunday night, Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah reached a new level in his quest for legendary status with the Reds.

That was the Egyptian star’s 228th goal for Liverpool, which equaled the tally of another Liverpool hero, Billy Liddell.

Fans of this generation may be forgiven for having little knowledge about Liddell, who made 534 appearances for the Reds between 1946 and 1960.

However, those who managed to witness him in action may recall how much of a memorable talent he was. For many, Liddell remains one of Liverpool’s greatest players – along with the likes of Kenny Dalglish, Gerrard, Souness, Hunt…in fact, some may argue he is the greatest.

Even the great Bill Shankly was one of his admirers: “He had everything – he was fast, powerful, could shoot with either foot and his headers were like blasts from a gun. On top of all that he was as hard as granite. What a player!” Shankly said.

John Keith paints another striking image of the player in his biography Billy Liddell: The Legend Who Carried the Kop (Robson Books. 2004). Strong as an ox, Liddell was a real handful for most centre-backs in England’s second tier.

During one game, two defenders tried to take him out, scything him down with two crunching tackles. The crowd winced as their studs sank into Billy’s leg. But Liddell just got straight back up, swiveled, then ceremoniously slammed the ball into the back of the net with his other leg.

There were many times when he single-handedly carried the team, scoring decisive goals – a multi-purpose player who could player in any position on the park – both wings, defence, midfield. Those who saw him in action recall a palpable, tense feeling of anticipation in the stands every time Billy received the ball.

Back in the 1950s, Liverpool’s wilderness years, the team was jokingly referred to as ‘Liddellpool’. And his impact still reverberates around Anfield, where his banner is still held aloft on the Kop before matches to this day – 64 years after he last played for the club.

Thus, the importance of Salah’s goalscoring exploits – which sees him now level with another icon in Liddell – should not go unrecognized.

Indeed, Salah has racked up the same number of goals in less matches (372) and in the all-time top ten ranking, only Gordon Hodgson has a better goals/game ratio than the Egyptian.