- Mohamed Salah scored to help Liverpool beat Everton 2-1 on Sunday
- The Reds emerged victorious in the first-ever Merseyside derby at the Hill Dickinson Stadium
- Wayne Rooney was full of praise for the Anfield hero
Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has made a grit-teethed admission about Mohamed Salah after he helped Liverpool to a 2-1 win against Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday.
The Reds have 99 problems, but beating their city rivals ain’t one. For all their failures this season, Arne Slot’s men have done a double over the Toffees.
Liverpool earned a 2-1 victory over Everton when the two sides met at Anfield in the Premier League earlier this season, and repeated the trick at the Hill Dickinson Stadium last weekend.
Veterans Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, who scored the winner in the 100th-minute, were on the scoresheet as the six-time European champions claimed all three points in the first-ever Merseyside derby at Everton’s brand new stadium.
It was certainly one for the history books, as the game also saw the Anfield outfit score their sixth injury-time winner against the Blues in the Premier League.
Rooney cannot deny greatness of Mo Salah
Meanwhile, Salah’s 29th-minute opener on Sunday was his ninth goal in 15 appearances against Everton.
As an Evertonian, Rooney will be tired of seeing the Egyptian King make the Toffees suffer and would be glad to see him leave at the end of the season.
However, the Manchester United legend has acknowledged the 33-year-old’s greatness, hailing him as one of the best Premier League players of all time.
He explained that no one can deny the legacy Salah has forged during his time in England.
Speaking on his own show on BBC Sport (20 April), he said: “I’ve got so much respect for Mo Salah. Over the course of his career at Liverpool, he’s been fantastic and one of the best players ever to play in the Premier League.
“You expect him to score goals against a lot of the teams, so it’s always hard on derby day when he scores, but it is his legacy in the Premier League and for Liverpool. No one will be able to deny that.”
Salah has five games left as Liverpool star
The former Roma ace announced in March that he will leave the Reds at the end of the season despite his contract originally running until next year.
That means he has only five more games remaining as a Liverpool player, including a trip to Manchester United’s Old Trafford on 3 May.
Mo Salah has scored more goals (16) against the Red Devils than against any other team, and he will be determined to add to that tally.
Wayne Rooney’s “grit-teethed” praise serves as the ultimate validation of Mohamed Salah’s impact on English football.
For a Manchester United icon and a boyhood Evertonian to cast tribalism aside speaks volumes; it is a recognition that Salah’s greatness has transcended the fiercest rivalries in the sport.
While the 2025/26 campaign may be remembered as a collective failure for the Reds, Salah’s final act scoring in the historic first derby at the Hill Dickinson Stadium ensures his legendary status remains untouched.
As the clock ticks down on his Anfield career, the focus now shifts to a final five-game farewell tour. With a trip to Old Trafford looming on May 3, Salah has one last opportunity to haunt his favourite opponents before the curtain falls on a glittering era.
Whether Liverpool can successfully navigate the post-Salah void remains to be seen, but as Rooney rightly noted, the Egyptian’s legacy is now set in stone no matter where he heads this summer.
