On the first day of his sixth new year as a Liverpool player, Mohamed Salah reached another milestone. His 150th Premier League goal for the club was delayed by a penalty save. He made amends in the second half of Liverpool’s 4-2 victory over Newcastle United, scoring two goals and making two superb passes in the immediate aftermath.

A perfect keepsake for a fan base expecting what might be 30 days of Salah’s absence if Egypt progresses to their third Africa Cup of Nations final in four attempts, led by their hero.

Salah will surely be in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, on February 12 for the final.

“I want to win this competition, I would love to win it,” he said as he boarded a joyous Anfield flight bound for Africa. “It’s a great feeling every time I step on the field with the national team jersey, something I cannot take for granted.”

Salah cannot also expect Liverpool to be in first place when he returns, which might be eight club games later, including four in the league. They have a three-point lead over Aston Villa in second place thanks to a sensational performance against Newcastle, but the pack of clubs surrounding the top is still tight.

Salah expressed appreciation for his colleagues, adding, “We have fantastic players who can play in my position and do what I’m doing.”

However, despite the fact that Diogo Jota won one penalty on a Salah-like counter-attack, Luis Diaz won another with some nimble, Salah-style footwork, and Trent Alexander-Arnold produced a glorious moment of daring and enterprise from Salah’s preferred right flank, nobody left Anfield believing Jurgen Klopp’s team is as consistently potent without their star man.

Others applauded him, including Cody Gakpo, who praised the pure quality of Salah’s cross, which allowed Gakpo to convert Liverpool’s third goal despite a miscued connection. Curtis Jones also made an impression, sweeping home a Jota cross after Salah’s brilliant angled pass had put him behind the Newcastle defense.

“Mo can change a game,” Klopp stated before making a crucial remark. The missed penalty, which was well within Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka’s reach, had left a dominant Liverpool without reward at half-time, a worrying situation in such a razor-thin title race, where Liverpool’s current lead is owed as much to two consecutive wins as it is to Arsenal losing twice in three days.

“Mo can improve in a game, because he’s done it hundreds of times,” Klopp said of Salah’s reaction to the saved penalty. “The more goals you have, the more used you are to missing opportunities and understanding what you need to do to keep going and improving.” That is just what Mo did.”

That remark has a subtext of advice for Darwin Nunez, the young forward who has only scored once in his last 14 games. While Klopp hailed Darwin for his coolness in setting up Salah’s first goal, the Uruguayan will now shoulder some of the pressure of compensating for Salah’s goals. He does so without the luxury of a strong scoring spree.

Salah’s effort is significant, as evidenced by statistics. More than half of Liverpool’s Premier League goals have been scored or assisted by the Egyptian this season.

His 18 goals in 27 appearances in all competitions are more than twice Jota’s nine. Historically, Liverpool has been less productive in Januarys than in Decembers under Klopp’s tenure, though they have been extremely fortunate in terms of how far Salah’s absences from the African Cup of Nations have previously cost them.

The 2019 Cup of Nations was a summer competition staged outside of the domestic schedule; Salah missed only two Premier League games in 2022, when Egypt suffered heartbreak by losing on penalties to Senegal in the final.

This season appears to have a greater impact. Salah’s absence coincides with that of Wataru Endo, who has grown in importance in Liverpool’s midfield and will represent Japan at the Asian Cup in Qatar, which runs concurrently with Afcon.

Tottenham Hotspur, who are ranked fifth, are also losing players, the most important of which is Son Heung-min, who is on his way to Qatar with South Korea. Son, like Salah at Liverpool, has scored the most goals for Spurs this season. He compared his upcoming absence to Harry Kane’s injury absences during the years when Son and Kane shared primary offensive duty for Tottenham.

“When Harry was missing with injuries, I felt like I needed to step up in previous years,” he continued. “I’m hoping that our players feel compelled to step up in this type of situation, and that everyone in the attacking positions can score as many goals as possible to help us get back into the game.”

Tottenham’s winter woes go beyond the loss of their best striker, who left for Bayern Munich only six months ago. If Senegal and Mali pick up Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma for the Afcon, Spurs’ midfield would be substantially transformed.

Around 40 Premier League players have been chosen to compete in either the Afcon or Asian Cup. Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana and Moroccan midfielder Sofyan Amrabat have been released by Manchester United. Wolverhampton Wanderers will find out just how reliant they are on Hwang Hee-chan of Korea, whose energy and goals have bolstered their excellent league run over the previous month.

To measure the heavy potential impact of African and Asian football’s bi-annual showpieces on the Premier League over the next four to six weeks, look no further than the leaderboard of scorers. Salah, Son, and Hwang are three of six men to have reached double figures in top English football’s international arena.