Why Liverpool had ex-Man City coach to thank for Mo Salah’s set-piece goal

Liverpool finally produced a set-piece goal on their way to 2-0 win over Man City, and they had a coach who left the Etihad back in 2020 to thank for it.

Before kickoff in Manchester on Sunday afternoon, Liverpool had scored the joint-fewest set-piece goals in the Premier League (three) and Man City had conceded the joint-fewest (two).

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But just 14 minutes into an eventual 2-0 victory for the Reds, Alexis Mac Allister whipped in a low corner which was flicked on by Dominik Szoboszlai at the near post.

It was a very deliberate flick-on, cushioned into the path of Mohamed Salah just outside the six-yard box, allowing the Egyptian time to weigh up his finish and find the back of the net.

Mo Salah is happy with that ?

Liverpool take the lead at the Etihad! ? pic.twitter.com/KcJHuOzoAr

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Given the emphasis on Liverpool’s failure to defend set-pieces in midweek at Aston Villa it was a welcome goal at the other end.

And that training ground routine had the fingerprints of first-team individual development coach Aaron Briggs – formerly of Man City – all over it.

Briggs spent nine years at Man City before leaving the club in 2020, taking in roles at AS Monaco, FIFA, Wolfsburg and UEFA before joining as part of Arne Slot‘s squad in the summer.

While he has effectively taken the job of Vitor Matos, serving as a bridge between the academy and first team, his remit has been much more than that.

It is Briggs who is often most vocal on the touchline on matchdays and leads a number of sessions at the AXA Training Centre – including set-pieces.

His responsibility when it comes to set-pieces comes in the absence of a specialist coach, despite Liverpool’s public efforts to appoint one in the summer.

When the club failed to secure a work permit for Etienne Reijnen, who was part of Slot’s staff at Feyenoord, the decision was made to pause their search and give Briggs the reins.

Liverpool could revive their pursuit of Reijnen in the future, particularly given how diluted Briggs’ duties are within the first-team staff.

But for now, Salah’s goal at the Etihad is the marker of coaching ingenuity and technical precision that belies a reputation the Reds had gained as wasteful in set-pieces.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Szoboszlai gave a simple assessment: “Yeah, we practised it yesterday and hopefully we can do it even more times.”