Mohamed Salah's Liverpool masterclass creates Champions League history in Atletico Madrid win

Mohamed Salah made Champions League history in Liverpool’s 3-2 victory over Atletico Madrid at Anfield.

The forward, 33, found the back of the net and assisted Andrew Robertson's goal after four minutes before scoring two minutes later to give Arne Slot's team a seemingly comfortable lead.

However, Marcos Llorente halved the deficit in the third minute of first-half stoppage time, and the score remained unchanged until the final moments.

Llorente then pegged the Reds back with nine minutes of the 90 remaining, leaving Liverpool on the brink of dropping points in their European opener.

Nevertheless, the six-time European champions once again scored a late goal, with Virgil van Dijk converting in the 92nd minute to continue their streak in the 2025-26 season of scoring in the closing stages.

Salah comes alive for Liverpool on dramatic Champions League night

Liverpool, no stranger to thrilling European nights, experienced a drama-filled match marked by early Reds goals and another at the death.

According to Opta, Salah assisted and scored in the opening six minutes of the game for an English club in Europe's premier club competition, the earliest recorded instance of both feats for a Premier League side.

By opening his account for the season against the Madrid-based opponents, the 33-year-old has now increased his tally to 51 Champions League goals for the Merseyside club and 62 overall.

1 + 1 - Liverpool's Mohamed Salah has tonight become the only player in UEFA Champions League history to both score and assist inside the opening six minutes of a match for an English club. Only. pic.twitter.com/S6gY26luFQ
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 17, 2025

Wednesday’s goal was Salah’s third in six goals across all competitions this season, although the Egyptian’s season was below par before the victory over Diego Simeone’s team.

How has Mohamed Salah fared for Liverpool this season?

Before their European victory over Atletico, Salah had scored twice in the Premier League — against Bournemouth and Burnley — and created one goal against Newcastle United.

However, several of the forward's raw and underlying statistics — as per Fbref — were far from convincing.

The 33-year-old's goals came from five shots (including penalties); he mustered no shots in the win over Newcastle and failed to attempt an effort from open play in the victory against Burnley.

In the 1-0 win over Arsenal before the international break, Salah took just one shot on target over 90 minutes in a dull match before Dominik Szoboszlai's superb free kick decided the contest for the defending Premier League champions.

In addition, the forward's overall involvement was inconsistent to low, as shown by just one shot-creating action against Newcastle and Arsenal, and only two in Sunday's last-minute victory over Scott Parker's team at Turf Moor.