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Mohamed Salah had just stroked home his second goal of the night when Stoke City displayed on the big screen the winners of their All-Stars Lottery.

One home fan at least had the consolation of going home a £1,000 richer but it was Jurgen Klopp who walked away from the Potteries feeling like he had hit the jackpot.

Salah’s breathtaking start to his Liverpool career continues unabated.

Wary of over-exerting him, Klopp had opted to take Egypt’s finest out of the firing line. It was the first time since August that Salah hadn’t started in the Premier League.

But there is no keeping the 25-year-old out of the limelight. Summoned from the bench with the contest still in the melting pot midway through the second half, Salah quickly turned a tricky night into a procession.

He was only on the pitch for 25 minutes and touched the ball just 13 times but still helped himself to a classy double. That wand of a left foot is making a habit of rewriting the record books.

A year ago Sadio Mane proved an instant hit with the Kop following his arrival from Southampton. But Salah’s impact is on a different level. This time last season Mane had scored six goals, Salah currently has 17 in just 21 appearances.

Not since Luis Suarez netted 31 times in 2013/14 have Liverpool had an attacker enjoying such a prolific run of form. But Suarez didn’t hit the ground running like Salah.

In terms of a new signing settling so quickly and lighting the place up in a similar manner, you have to go back to Fernando Torres in 2007. Forget how that fairytale turned sour, the Spanish striker was a revelation.

But not even Torres compares to Salah when it comes to the sheer weight of goals. The Spaniard’s first 21 games for Liverpool yielded 14. Wingers simply aren’t supposed to score at Salah’s current rate.

His first goal against Stoke was all about technique and composure as he ruthlessly dispatched a volley from Sadio Mane’s inviting cross. The second underlined how his reputation is going before him.

Chasing a long ball forward, it was reminiscent of how Torres used to frighten the life out of Nemanja Vidic. Erik Pieters crumbled and Salah burst through to make him pay.

“You can see that everyone is a little bit scared of him,” team-mate Emre Can told the ECHO. “I’d watched him play before he signed for Liverpool but I didn’t know he was as good as this.”

Last summer Liverpool were strangely reluctant to confirm the size of the fee they paid Roma for Salah. The details ended up emerging because as a publicly listed company the Serie A outfit were obliged to make the information available.

The Reds certainly ended up paying more than they had initially intended with a club record £36.9million up front potentially rising to £43.9million with add-ons. But six months on his value has rocketed. No European club has completed a better piece of business in 2017.

Klopp has credited head of scouting and recruitment Dave Fallows, chief scout Barry Hunter and sporting director Michael Edwards for the work they put into securing Salah’s services. They were adamant that in terms of both ability and attitude, he was the perfect fit for the Reds.

A winger was always high on Klopp’s shopping list after Liverpool were far too reliant on Mane last term. If Borussia Dortmund had agreed to sell Christian Pulisic or Julian Brandt had decided to leave Bayer Leverkusen, things would have been very different but the Reds will have no regrets.

What helped Liverpool when they turned their attention to Salah was the player’s desire to return to the Premier League and prove himself after being unfairly cast aside by Chelsea. He has made his point emphatically.

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Some struggle with the pressure and expectation of life at Liverpool but the quiet family man, who continues to shun interview requests, has embraced it. He’s used to carrying the hopes of a nation on his shoulders.

As well as pace and goals, he has brought balance to Klopp’s side. With Mane shifted out to the left, Liverpool now boast two wingers of the highest calibre. Throw into the mix the fact that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is starting to deliver the goods and Klopp has some serious firepower.

Having given Mane and Roberto Firmino a breather against Chelsea, it was Salah and Philippe Coutinho’s turn to be rested at Stoke. Klopp will rotate again at Brighton on Saturday.

This is no one-man band and that squad depth is going to be crucial over the coming weeks. But Salah is currently operating in a class of his own.