Mohamed Salah is targeting a late surge in the Golden Boot race as he seeks to join an elite club by completing a rare hat-trick.
The Liverpool forward has won the award for the past two seasons, sharing it last term with his team-mate Sadio Mane and Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
He can now become only the third player to win the Golden Boot for a third time, and three times in a row, after Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry.
Race for the Golden Boot
| Player | Goals | Fixtures |
|---|---|---|
| Vardy | 23 | MUN (H) |
| Ings | 21 | SHU (H) |
| Aubameyang | 20 | WAT (H) |
| Salah | 19 | CHE (H), NEW (A) |
| Sterling | 19 | NOR (H) |
To do so Salah will need to score at least four goals in his final two matches, at home against Chelsea on Wednesday and at Newcastle United on Sunday.
But he can take heart from the fact that he has scored in his last two Premier League home matches against Chelsea, and in his last four meetings with Newcastle.
Watch Salah's strike against Chelsea
He is also getting plenty of chances to add to his tally. While the Egyptian has drawn a blank in his last two matches, he has had 10 shots in those fixtures, with six being on target.
Salah can take inspiration from Harry Kane's feat in his final two matches of 2016/17, when the Tottenham Hotspur retained the Golden Boot, which is presented by Cadbury.
Kane scored four goals against Leicester City and then a hat-trick against Hull City to finish at the top of the chart, four goals ahead of Romelu Lukaku.
See: Golden Boot winners
