It was another stunning weekend for Mo Salah and a quartet of Nigerian stars as Africa’s top talents in Europe showed their incredible quality again.
We look at some of the top performers in the biggest leagues.
MOHAMED SALAH (LIVERPOOL & EGYPT)
There was some controversy around the referee decisions in Liverpool’s 2-1 victory at Crystal Palace, but there can be no doubting the quality of Salah as he once again steered the Reds to victory and the top of the Premier League table. Liverpool trailed going into the final 15 minutes, but Salah struck his 150th Premier League goal and 200th in Liverpool red to bring his side level. He then laid on the winner for Harvey Elliott, teeing up the young midfielder for his fine strike. Salah remains absolutely vital to Liverpool in an attacking sense, and now has 11 goals and seven assists in 16 league appearances this season, more than one goal contribution per game.
ABDOULAYE DOUCOURE (EVERTON & MALI)
A player who is turning out to be equally as important in the context of his own side is Everton midfielder Doucoure. He scored the goal against Bournemouth on the final day of last season to keep them in the Premier League and has continued to find the back of the net regularly in this campaign. He scored just four goals in his first 69 appearances for The Toffees, but now has 11 in his last 31 games, all under manager Sean Dyche. He has more non-penalty goals than any other midfielder in the league in that time. After netting in the 3-0 win over Newcastle United on Thursday, he struck again in Sunday’s 2-0 success against Chelsea. Dwight McNeil surged forward with the ball in the 54th minute and slipped a pass to Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez saved the one-on-one chance, but Doucoure drilled the rebound into the far corner of the net for his sixth of the season.
SIMON ADINGRA (BRIGHTON & IVORY COAST)
Adingra is not the type of player to score many goals with his head, his feet are too dazzling for that, but he rescued a point for Brighton & Hove Albion in their 1-1 home draw with Burnley when it seemed visiting goalkeeper James Trafford would deny them anything. The 21-year-old Adingra was a thorn in the side of Burnley all game with his skill and pace on the right wing, and he finally found the back of the net on 77 minutes with a looping header. It is his fourth goal (to go with one assist) in 11 Premier League starts this season, making him Brighton’s third highest scorer this term.
ALEX IWOBI (FULHAM & NIGERIA)
Iwobi grabbed two goals in Fulham’s 5-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in midweek and then another assist as they thrashed West Ham United by the same scoreline on Sunday. He got the slightest of touches to a low cross when in all honesty he was trying to shoot, and Willian did the rest to make it 2-0 to The Cottagers. After a slow start to his return to London, Iwobi now has three goals and an assist in eight starts this term.
CALVIN BASSEY (FULHAM & NIGERIA)
Back-to-back clean-sheets for Fulham is also something to be celebrated and Nigeria defender Bassey played his part. It is the first time Fulham have managed consecutive shutouts in 14 games in all competitions and centre-back Bassey has adapted to life in the Premier League well since his move from Ajax Amsterdam at the start of the campaign. He and Iwobi will be a big miss come the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Ivory Coast.
ADEMOLA LOOKMAN (ATALANTA & NIGERIA)
Atalanta will likely also be without their star Super Eagle with Lookman coming bang into form at the right time for his national team. He got another two goals as his Serie A side stunned AC Milan with a 3-2 win. He now has six goals this term, almost half the 13 he managed in the last campaign. His first against Milan may have had a bit of luck about it as his shot took a huge deflection to beat the goalkeeper, but the second was an emphatic side-footed finish from six-yards. Lookman was denied a hattrick by a brilliant goalkeeper save and then some superb last-ditch defending, but he can be proud of performance in a famous win for Atalanta.
SIMY (SALERNITANA & NIGERIA)
It proved a goal in vain as Salernitana lost 2-1 at home to Bologna but Simy netted his first of the season in just his second substitute appearance following a move from Serie B side Benevento at the start of the campaign. Simy netted 20 Serie A goals for Crotone in the 2020/21 season (and they were still relegated). That may seem a long way off, but this is a first step and the first goal in the Italian elite league for him in over two years. It was a fine finish after he was set up on the edge of the box, curling a low shot into the corner of the net to give the goalkeeper no chance.
CHRISTIAN KOUAME (FIORENTINA & IVORY COAST)
Kouame has made just five starts for Fiorentina this season but came up trumps as he laid on the equaliser against nine-man Roma in the 1-1 draw on Sunday. It was his first assist of the campaign to go with a single goal, but perhaps a sign of better things to come. Kouame sent in a superb cross from the left, perfect for Lucas Martínez Quarta to head home midway through the second period.
HAMARI TRAORE (REAL SOCIEDAD & MALI)
Real Sociedad continue to push for a Uefa Champions League qualification place this season following their superb 3-0 victory at Villarreal on Saturday. It was a superb away performance from the team in fifth place and playing his part was Traore. The right-back has featured in every game for Sociedad this season and even come up with a couple of assists, but on this occasion it was about the clean sheet as he helped to keep Villarreal at bay.
DJENE (GETAFE & TOGO)
The Togolese centre-back is now in his seventh season in LaLiga having barely missed a game in that time, such has been his consistency in performance for Getafe. He can be a little bit of a ‘card machine’ – he got 10 yellows last season, 11 the year before and has seven red cards in the last five years – but he is a strong defender and a key part of the game-plan for his Spanish side. He was on form again as they beat Valencia 1-0 on Friday, helping the side to a valuable clean sheet as they moved above Valencia in the table to ninth place.