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You can tell which players deserve to be a Premier League champion long before somebody holds that glistening trophy aloft in May, and Mohamed Salah's performance against Brighton on Saturday was that of a man worthy of doing just that come the end of the season.

It is the games against the likes of a resolute, compact side such as Chris Hughton's Brighton which are the ones where titles are mostly won or lost, and Liverpool just managed to scrape past the Seagulls to show that they should be regarded as serious challengers to Manchester City's crown - when a team isn't playing to their best but is still picking up maximum points, they are a force to be reckoned with.

Jurgen Klopp's Reds didn't necessarily struggle too much throughout the game at the Amex Stadium, as shown by them having the lions share of possession - 71 per cent of it to be exact -  and their huge tally of 755 passes to Brighton's 301.

However, it was more a case of breaking through a solid backline, marshalled by the formidable partnership of Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy, that the Merseysiders suffered in doing.

Thankfully, Klopp had one of the world's best players and arguably the Premier League's best to help him out, and on a day where his Egyptian talisman could easily have shirked under the weight of expectation, and the physical demands of his ninth game in 35 days, he instead performed like a true leader - it's worth noting that Salah has played the entire 90 minutes in all of those games.

Impressively, the former Chelsea and Roma forward battled against the odds in order to force the issue, despite constantly being swatted away by the side from the coast.

The 26-year-old had three shots throughout the game, two of which were on target, with one of them finding the back of the net in the game's only goal from the penalty spot - he also won the penalty himself, a decision which has prompted plenty of controversy and fume from rival fans.

 

Instead of just being the man tasked with scoring the goals, Salah also created enough chances to earn an assist to go with his match-winning strike, having made three key passes throughout the game - more than any of his teammates, but the same amount as Gaeton Bong, strangely.

Notably, Salah did more than just play the killer ball to create chances for his teammates in red, as he completed a match-high three dribbles in an attempt to unsettle the Brighton backline and disorganise them.

In true gegenpressing style, the Premier League's joint-top scorer with 14 strikes also managed to make a tackle to show the many sides to his game, and also highlight his desire to press and win the ball back - a trait much adored by his German boss.

You need your key men to step up and force the issue in games such as the one against the Seagulls, and Salah did all of that and more - if Liverpool keep him fit and firing, there's absolutely no reason why they can't win their maiden Premier League title.