Is Mohamed Salah’s cup final record for Liverpool as bad as the numbers suggest? | OneFootball

Let’s face it: in football, it’s often the case that major cup finals do not make for the best games of the season. For every 2022 World Cup final between France and Argentina, there will be a dozen examples of tight and tense contests; far from the ideal conditions to produce season-defining performances.

For Mohamed Salah, a scorer of 32 goals in what looks to be a record-breaking campaign for Liverpool, that was again the case in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final defeat to Newcastle United. For a forward who is on his way to recording one of the greatest individual seasons of all time in the Premier League came the anomaly of Wembley: a match where the 32-year-old did not have a shot or create a chance in Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat.

It also continued a trend. Salah is Liverpool’s third-highest goalscorer of all time with 243, but Sunday’s blank at Newcastle means just one of those goals has arrived in a major cup final for the Reds across his eight seasons at the club. If Salah is to depart Anfield at the end of his contract in the summer, it would leave the slightest of marks on his record - though still a minor one when the wider achievements of one of the club’s greatest forwards is considered.

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Salah was kept quiet at Wembley as Liverpool were beaten (Getty Images)

Salah may reflect Liverpool as a whole over the past eight years in that, even at their peak under Jurgen Klopp, complete performances and routine wins in major cup finals have been hard to come by. But while Liverpool have not won as much as they perhaps should in recent years, Salah, too, has also been dealt an unfortunate hand, with injuries adding to his misfortune. And then there’s that performance from Thibaut Courtois in the Stade de France.

So is it fair to say Salah hasn’t delivered in cup finals for Liverpool, and Egypt? Let’s take a look…

2018 Champions League final vs Real Madrid (1-3) - Injured

Salah’s incredible debut season at Liverpool, which brought 44 goals in all competitions, came to a cruel end in the Champions League final in Kyiv, spraining ligaments in his shoulder in the first half after being dragged to the ground by Sergio Ramos. Salah exited the final in tears and there would be further heartbreak for Liverpool as Real Madrid won 3-1, with Gareth Bale’s overhead kick coming either side of errors from Loris Karius.

2019 Champions League final vs Tottenham (2-0) - Goal!

Salah’s only goal in a major final for Liverpool came from the penalty spot; thrashed down the middle of Hugo Lloris’ goal after Moussa Sissoko was penalised for handball just 21 seconds into the Madrid showpiece. With an early lead, Liverpool’s chances came on the counter-attack: Salah himself saw a shot blocked by Toby Alderweireld and was close to an assist as James Milner shot wide. After soaking up Tottenham pressure, Liverpool’s clinching goal was scored by substitute Divock Origi.

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(Getty Images)

2019 Fifa Club World Cup final vs Flamengo (1-0, after extra time)

Liverpool’s maiden success in the Club World Cup, which came midway through their Premier League title-winning campaign, was hardly a classic. Against Brazilian opponents Flamengo, it was Roberto Firmino who carried Liverpool’s threat in a stodgy contest and it was the striker who scored in extra time, set up by Sadio Mane’s turn and pass. Firmino also scored Liverpool’s winner in the semi-final in Doha, converting Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross after a solo run into the box from Salah.

2022 Carabao Cup final vs Chelsea (0-0, Liverpool won on penalties)

Incredibly, the first of two Wembley finals between Liverpool and Chelsea that season went to penalties after a goalless 120 minutes. Both starting goalkeepers, Caoimhin Kelleher and Edouard Mendy, made big saves while both teams missed glaring chances and had goals ruled out for offside. In an open game, Salah’s best opportunity came when he was played through on goal and chipped Mendy, only to see Thiago Silva clear off the line (although it was heading wide anyway). Salah scored his penalty in the shoot-out but the hero was Kelleher after Kepa’s miss.

2022 FA Cup final vs Chelsea (0-0, Liverpool won on penalties) - Injured

Disaster struck again for Salah and Liverpool in a major final as he was forced off after just half an hour at Wembley. With Liverpool through to the Champions League final against Real Madrid later that month, he took no chances after holding his groin. Somehow, Liverpool and Chelsea went to penalties again, where Kostas Tsimikas scored the decisive kick to win the FA Cup after Luis Diaz had been Liverpool’s most dangerous forward in normal time.

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Salah was injured in the 2022 FA Cup final, the second time he was forced off early in a major final (The FA via Getty Images)

2022 Champions League final vs Real Madrid (0-1) - Courtois masterclass

The promise of revenge against Real Madrid was denied by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, the player of the match in Paris with his nine saves. While the best of the bunch came from Sadio Mane’s fierce shot, tipped onto the post, the towering Belgian thwarted Salah six times during the final, denying Salah what would have been an extraordinary equaliser after the Egyptian controlled a high ball, skipped past Ferland Mendy and shot across goal with his right foot. “To be honest I can't really believe the save I made from Salah,” Courtois said after managing to divert it around the post.

2025 Carabao Cup final vs Newcastle (1-2)

After missing the 2024 Carabao Cup final victory over Chelsea due to injury, Salah was virtually anonymous with his performance in 2025 against Newcastle, in a match where Liverpool were thoroughly outplayed and deservedly beaten. According to Opta, and for the first time in his 391-match Liverpool career, Salah neither attempted a shot nor created a chance in 90+ minutes. It’s obviously a shocking statistic for a player who is on track to achieve record numbers this campaign.

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(Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)

2017 Africa Cup of Nations final vs Cameroon (1-2) - Assist!

Salah assisted Mohamed Elneny’s first-half opener in Gabon with a threaded pass into the box from the right wing, having also created an early chance for Abdallah Said in the final. But Cameroon came from behind as Nicolas Nkoulou equalised on the hour-mark and Vincent Aboubakar scored a late winner to deny Egypt a record-extending eighth Africa Cup of Nations title.

2022 Africa Cup of Nations final vs Senegal (0-0, Senegal won on penalties)

In a meeting of Liverpool team-mates, it was Sadio Mane who triumphed, scoring the winning penalty in the shoot-out to deliver Senegal's first Africa Cup of Nations title. Oddly, Salah did not take a penalty, presumably after being designated Egypt’s fifth. Egypt could have no complaints after an ultra-defensive performance under Carlos Queiroz that left Salah isolated and feeding off scraps: it was remarkable they reached the final at all.