Sadio Mane's 10 most important goals ranked

10. Liverpool 5-0 Watford27 February 2019This wasn’t Sadio Mane’s most consequential goal, but it was aseasy on the eye as any.Three days after Liverpoolwere held to a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford, Klopp's side headed down to Watford in need of a strong showing to keep theirtitle bid on track. They wentone-up inside the first twenty minutes when Mane found space in the area. His first touch took him away from goal, but he wasn't fazed, producing an ingenious backheel chip over Ben Foster.Liverpool went on to win 5-0 but drew the Merseyside derby three days later, a result which ultimately provedfatal to their title bid.9. Metz 2-5EA Guingamp4 May 2012Mane's first goal in professional football cameforMetz, just before theywere relegatedtothe French third tier.That, and his subsequent performances in the 2012 Olympic Games, alerted Gerard Houllier, who was working for Red Bull at the time, to the20-year-old Senegalese starlet. A £3million transfer to Red Bull Salzburg would save Mane from wasting away in the French lower leagues.8. Liverpool 3-1 Manchester City10 November 2019Here, Mane scored a crucial thirdas Liverpool confirmed a power shift in the Premier League.Just over five minutes into the second half, Jordan Henderson’s searching cross found Mane at the back post.Hisheader was fumbled in by Claudio Bravo, giving Liverpool an unassailable three-goal lead.It opened up a nine-point lead over the Champions, who had ruthlessly denied them the title the season before.7. Red Bull Salzburg 3-0 Bayern Munich18 January 2014Salzburg and Mane had been flyinginthefirst half of the 2013/14 season. In preparation for the second half of the campaign, a sold-outRed Bull Arenaplayed host toa mid-season friendly against Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich.Mane stole the show, scoring the first, winning the penalty for the second and settingup the third. A failed transfer bid from Jurgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmundsoonfollowed.Ex-Salzburg defender Ramalho told FourFourTwo: “What Mane did in that game was outstanding. I felt sorry for the Bayern defenders - he was unstoppable.”6. Real Madrid 3-1 Liverpool26 May 2018One whichcould have beenmuch higher on thislisthadthe latter stages of the2018 Champions League final gone a little differently. Briefly recovering from the loss of Mohamed Salah and Loris Karius’s first howler of the night, Mane grabbed anequaliser afterlatching onto Dejan Lovren’s header from a corner.Real Madrid, as we know, went on to win comfortably, but Mane marked himself as a bright spark on a dismal night in Ukraine.5. Arsenal 3-4 Liverpool14 August 2016After Liverpool spent £34 million on him -then a record fee for an African player -Mane made an instant impact with a debut goal in a 4-3 win away to Arsenal.It remains one of his best - picking the ball up on the right-wing, beating Nacho Monreal and Calum Chambers before firing across goal into the top corner. A sign of things to come.4. Aston Villa 1-2 Liverpool2 November 2019Liverpool were heading for their first defeat of the season with five minutes to go at Villa Park, before Mane, one of the league’s most in-form players at the time, hit a wonderful cross for Andy Robertson to equalise on the 87th minute.Mane then headed in a dramatic winner in the 94th minute, further demonstratingLiverpool’s knackof grabbing results at the death.3. Southampton 6-1 Aston Villa16 May 2015After an inconsistent first season with the Saints, Mane properly announced himself with the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history.Mane’s three goals were scored in just2 minutes and 56 seconds, handingSouthamptona three goalleadinside the opening16 minutes. They went onto win 6-1, giving themselves a shot at a top-six finish with one game to go.2. Liverpool 4-3 Manchester City14 January 2018A match that initiated the recent rivalry between City and Liverpool - Mane’s stunner resignedGuardiola’s side to their first defeatof the season. It was one of Mane’s best: a rising shot findingthe top corner.You could make a case that the result both denied City an invincible season (who knows if they’d have lost the Manchester derby with an unbeaten record on the line?) and gave Liverpool a psychological edge in their Champions League quarter-final later that season.1. Bayern Munich 1-3 Liverpool13 May 2019After a goalless draw at Anfield, Bayern Munich were rightfully favourites to knock Liverpool out of last season’s Champions League Round of 16.But a sublime Mane goal broke the deadlock and gave Liverpool a crucial away goal.He plucked a hopeful long ball out of the sky, before bamboozling the on-rushing Manuel Neuer and chipping into an emptynet.It was the moment that kick-started Liverpool’s runto Champions League glory.While you’re here, why not take advantage of our brilliant subscribers’ offer? Get the game’sgreatest stories and best journalism direct to your door for only £12.25 every three months – less than £3.80 per issue! 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