Despite a few recent misses, Mohamed Salah remains Liverpool’s designated penalty taker. However, with a wealth of proficient options in the squad, questions have arisen about whether anyone else deserves a shot at the responsibilities. Salah missed from the spot for the fourth time in his last 11 attempts against Newcastle on New Year’s Day, but later rectified the matter by scoring a penalty in the 4-2 win. His first-half miss was his sixth since the beginning of the 2021/22 season, having taken over from James Milner as his role within the side decreased. While it would take a brave man to take the ball from Salah, there are other options available. One such option is Darwin Nunez, who has yet to miss from the spot in his professional career, scoring 12 penalties with a 100% success rate.
Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool has a penalty record of 15 scored and 1 missed, giving him a success rate of 93.75%. He is a reliable source of goals from 12 yards and has assumed the role for his country. Alexis Mac Allister, also of Liverpool, has a record of 8 scored and 1 missed, giving him a success rate of 88.89%. He would likely have taken a penalty for Argentina in the World Cup final had he not been substituted. Despite Salah having the lowest percentage of penalties scored out of Liverpool’s recognised takers, his place within the leadership group and in club folklore means he remains in a position of power. The other two understudies, Darwin Nunez and Alexis Mac Allister, will be ready to pounce should the Egyptian blink again.
