FeatureThree perfect touches: Was this Andy Robertson's best assist for Mo Salah?

Twelve of Andy Robertson’s 69 assists in a Liverpool shirt were for Mohamed Salah.

Surely, though, one among that dozen shared between the two departing legends stands alone in terms of significance – and perhaps beauty, too.

Anfield. Sunday November 10, 2019. Liverpool v Manchester City.

A few months earlier, these sides had gone toe-to-toe in an all-timer of a Premier League title race, with the Reds’ final points haul of 97 one shy of City’s 98.

But Jürgen Klopp’s team began 2019-20 as European champions and in no mood to countenance finishing anywhere other than first domestically.

By the time this game rolled around, they held a record of played 11, won 10, drawn one in the league.

A week earlier, Robertson had equalised in the 87th minute at Villa Park. Did he celebrate? No, he grabbed the ball from the net in order to hasten the restart and, deep into stoppage time, Sadio Mane put his head in the vicinity of an opponent’s studs to glance home the winner.

Klopp’s ‘mentality monsters’ usually found a way.

Pep Guardiola’s City arrived at Anfield six points adrift of a relentless Liverpool. Six minutes after kick-off, they were 1-0 down due to a missile launched from the right boot of Fabinho.

By the 13th minute, it was 2-0. Goal: Salah. Assist: Robertson.

It was a masterpiece and typical of a team in perfect harmony.

Fabinho is, as always, ideally positioned to collect the second ball after a lofted Dejan Lovren pass is headed back into Liverpool territory.

The holding midfielder passes short and simple to Trent Alexander-Arnold, who instantly flips the angle of play with a wondrous cross-field ball that invites Robertson to advance.

Robertson looks up as he nudges the ball forward into his stride.

Touch number one.

Salah smells blood. He is goal side of City left-back Angelino and raises his arm, telling Robertson everything he needs to know. The left-back delivers a peach of a cross that curves and teases Fernandinho into thinking he can intercept.

Touch number two.

The ball bounces, evading a desperate Fernandinho, and there is Salah, scoring a rare header.

Touch number three.

“I don’t think I ever saw a goal like this. Probably not,” Klopp said after a 3-1 win that further clarified the direction of travel that season – that Liverpool were going to march inexorably to a first league title in 30 years.

“A right full-back with a 60-yard pass to the left full-back; two more touches and a cross over 40 yards, 50, and a header. That’s pretty special.”