This article is part of Football FanCast's In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets...

In the long-run, Liverpool's victory over Manchester City on Sunday could have huge implications for this year's Premier League title race.

The Reds beat the Citizens 3-1 at Anfield, which now means that Pep Guardiola's side are nine points behind Jurgen Klopp and co, with both Leicester City and Chelsea now having leapfrogged them in the table. The former Barcelona manager was very vocal about his frustration with the refereeing performance at the weekend, but deep down he will know that his side were second-best.

Part of that was down to the contribution of Mohamed Salah. The Egypt international stood out on Merseyside, showing why he is one of world football's star players.

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His goal put the European champions 2-0 ahead, and that was just a microcosm of his overall impressive display. He was a constant threat going forward, managing three shots, two of which were on target - only Sergio Aguero managed as many.

As a threatening dribbler, it is not much of a surprise to see him lead the way for Liverpool with three, whilst he contributed defensively with one tackle as well as one blocked shot. All in all, it was a stellar display from the former AS Roma winger.

Of course, it is something we have come to expect from the 27-year-old, but recently some questions have been asked of Salah after some stuttering form.

Former player Phil Thompson questioned his recent displays after the match against Genk in the Champions League last week, telling Sky Sports (via Metro): "It is a concern. The ankle injury that he had, it’s just that push off the mark. It doesn’t look as though he’s free-flowing."

This display was an emphatic response to those doubts, and shows that such a top player should never be doubted. When it truly matters, they step up, and that is what the £135m-valued former Fiorentina man - as per Transfermarkt - did against City.

Now eight points ahead at the top after 12 games, it is surely Liverpool's title to lose. If Salah continues to perform like this, they might as well be given the trophy now.