Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah experienced another frustrating weekend as Liverpool suffered a shocking 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Anfield Stadium. The loss leaves the Reds languishing in 11th position after 12 Premier League matches, having already suffered six defeats this season.
African Stars Across European Leagues
Mohamed Salah's struggle for form continues despite his Golden Boot triumph last season where he netted 29 goals. The 33-year-old has managed only four league goals this campaign, with his last strike coming in a victory against Aston Villa on November 1. Meanwhile, Manchester City's Erling Haaland dominates the scoring charts with 14 goals, while Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo leads African scorers with six.
In other Premier League action, Nigerian international Samuel Chukwueze made a significant impact coming off the bench for Fulham. His perfectly weighted cross set up Mexican striker Raul Jimenez for an 84th-minute winner against Sunderland at Craven Cottage. Fellow Nigerians Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi both started for the Cottagers in their 1-0 victory.
Burnley manager Scott Parker introduced South African striker Lyle Foster and Tunisian midfielder Hannibal Mejbri when trailing Chelsea 1-0 at Turf Moor. Unfortunately, neither substitute could change the game's outcome as Chelsea scored again late to secure second place behind Arsenal.
Continental Success in Germany and France
In Germany's Bundesliga, Senegalese striker Nicolas Jackson, on loan from Chelsea, played a crucial role in Bayern Munich's spectacular comeback victory. Bayern were staring at their first season defeat, trailing Freiburg 2-0, before mounting an incredible recovery to win 6-2. Jackson completed the scoring spree by tapping home the fifth goal in the 78th minute for his second league goal this season.
Bayer Leverkusen's Burkina Faso international Edmond Tapsoba continued his surprising scoring form, netting his third goal in seven games during a 3-1 away victory at Wolfsburg. The defender rose magnificently to head a cross into the top corner after 24 minutes, extending Leverkusen's lead to 2-0.
French Ligue 1 saw several African contributors, with Burkina Faso defender Ismaelo Ganiou scoring the only goal that gave Lens a 1-0 victory over Strasbourg, moving them to third place. However, Guinea striker Morgan Guilavogui's cameo appearance ended disappointingly as he received a red card in added time for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Veteran Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang put World Cup qualification disappointment behind him, opening the scoring in Marseille's 5-1 demolition of Nice. The victory keeps Marseille second in the standings, ahead of Lens only on goal difference.
Completing the African success stories in France, Moroccan forward Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal broke the deadlock after 20 minutes and provided an assist in Rennes' comprehensive 4-1 home victory over Monaco. The three points lifted Rennes to sixth position, one point and two places above their defeated opponents.
