Mohamed Salah outshines Lyle Foster in Liverpool victory

Mohamed Salah was the hero once again for Liverpool, firing home a stoppage-time penalty to hand the Premier League holders a narrow 1-0 victory over Burnley in Matchweek 4 of the 2025/26 campaign.

The Egyptian forward held his nerve in the 95th minute, blasting in from the spot after Tunisian midfielder Hannibal Mejbri was penalized for handball. The goal was Salah’s second of the season, having also scored on the opening day against Bournemouth.

It was a dramatic end to a tight contest at Turf Moor, with Burnley putting in a spirited display despite slipping to a third defeat of the season. South African striker Lyle Foster led the line for the Clarets in the game. At one point, he battled Virgil van Dijk in a duel, though the referee judged him to have fouled the Liverpool captain. Foster’s shift ended in the 85th minute when he was replaced by Joe Worrall.

The former Orlando Pirates forward had scored for the Clarets as they lost 3-2 to Manchester United the previous gameweek.

Earlier in the second half, Mohamed Salah came close to breaking the deadlock with a long-range effort that curled just wide of the left post in the 64th minute. But the breakthrough didn’t come until deep into added time, with Hannibal’s late error proving costly for Scott Parker’s men.

The match carried an African subplot as Mohamed Salah and Lyle Foster faced off after both returning from successful international duty. Salah netted for Egypt in a 2-0 victory over Ethiopia during World Cup qualifying, while Foster was on target for Bafana Bafana in a 3-0 win over Lesotho.

The win maintains Liverpool’s perfect start to the season, with four victories from four matches leaving them top of the table on 12 points. Burnley, meanwhile, sit 17th with three points from one win and three defeats.

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