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Kelechi Iheanacho and Youssef En-Nesyri have come in for criticism in recent seasons, for failing to score goals consistently, but the pair have been answering their critics in style over the past few weeks and they were on target again last weekend. Victor Osimhen conducted business as usual in Serie A, and Mohamed Salah was influential as Liverpool won their first English Premier League game of 2023 on Monday. Nigeria's Iheanacho followed on from his inspired display in Leicester City's 4-2 thumping of Aston Villa, again looking like one of the most lethal frontmen in the Premier League as the Foxes put Tottenham Hotspur to the sword. Iheanacho, starting consecutive Premier League games for the first time this season, is clearly relishing the faith shown in him by Brendan Rodgers, and he rewarded his head coach with an effective line-leading display as Leicester ran out 4-1 winners. However, it was Nampalys Mendy, and not Iheanacho, who started Leicester's comeback after Rodrigo Bentancur had given the visitors the lead. The Senegal midfielder -- and Africa Cup of Nations winner 12 months ago -- had waited six and a half years to score his first goal in English football, and he's unlikely to strike a sweeter shot, having slammed the ball into the top corner from the edge of the box after Bentancur had cleared a corner into his path. Mendy's arrival to meet the ball from off-shot, as well as the true trajectory as it sailed into the net, were reminiscent of Michael Essien's wondergoal for Chelsea against Arsenal in 2006, even if the defensive midfielder's goal wasn't quite as spectacular. "It's a wonderful strike," Brendan Rodgers told Leicester's official website. "He's got quality, Papy, but obviously he prefers to pass rather than shoot. It's a wonderful finish." Spurs crumbled as Leicester grew, and Iheanacho, sensing their fragility, stepped up to take centre stage. Two minutes after Mendy's thunderous effort, he laid the ball off to James Maddison for the England international to send the Foxes into the lead. Before the break, the Super Eagles striker was played in one on one against a thoroughly rattled Eric Dier, and, after again holding his nerve until an opening arose, fired a left-footed effort beyond Fraser Forster. There was little hope of a comeback from this brittle Spurs team, and Iheanacho was unfortunate not to have another assist when he played in Harvey Barnes only for the wideman's goal to be ruled out for offside by VAR. Barnes eventually did wrap up a great outing for Leicester with their fourth goal in the 81st minute -- by which point Jamie Vardy had replaced Iheanacho -- and the Foxes moved up to 13th in the table, six points from the relegation zone. Before this match, Iheanacho had assisted in five goals in his five previous games in all competitions for Leicester; now it's seven in six, taking his goal/assist haul in the Premier League to 67. Astonishingly, the 26-year-old sits 10th in the all-time Premier League standings for minutes per goal or assist among players with at least 150 appearances. Iheanacho has scored or registered an assist every 112 minutes in his time with Manchester City and Leicester, admittedly some way off Thierry Henry (every 87 minutes), but rubbing shoulders with the likes of Eric Cantona, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Gabriel Jesus (109) and Harry Kane (105). Only Didier Drogba and Mohamed Salah are ahead of Iheanacho among Africans, although the Leicester man is never truly regarded among the league's most efficient goal-contributors. - Weekend Review: Man City set up showdown with Arsenal
- VAR's worst weekend: Review of decisions Ex-Spurs midfielder Danny Murphy, speaking on Match of the Day, was certainly impressed. "We know Iheanacho is a good player," he said. "It's his consistency, running the team. He started the game with a real intensity, real tenacity; they all did actually." While Iheanacho hadn't scored in nine Premier League outings before netting against Villa, Sevilla's En-Nesyri hadn't found the net in 14 LaLiga games this season, despite starring for Morocco at the FIFA World Cup. Coupled with his struggles last season, there were some fears that the 25-year-old would never again return to the career trajectory he once appeared to be on. En-Nesyri scored twice for Morocco as they reached the World Cup semifinals in Qatar, and four goals in his past four matches in the league and cup suggests that he's rediscovering his rhythm in Spain. He was the hero again last weekend, opening the scoring for Jorge Sampaoli's side after an assist from Pape Gueye as they dispatched Mallorca 2-0. Linked with a move to West Ham United and Nice in recent weeks, En-Nesyri will likely be the subject of more transfer speculation this summer.  There's no doubt that Osimhen will be one of the hottest properties of the next transfer window, having taken his career to another level this season. The goals continued to flow this weekend, with the Nigerian tapping home against Cremonese as Napoli defeated the Serie A strugglers 3-0. Osimhen has scored in each of his past four games, and he has 16 goals in 16 games across all competitions since returning from injury in mid-October. Reports in the Spanish media suggest that Liverpool and Real Madrid are considering rivalling Manchester United for Osimhen's signature at the season's end. Osimhen now has 17 goals for the season -- five clear of compatriot Ademola Lookman in the scoring charts -- as Napoli move 15 points clear at the top of Serie A. Lookman did at least register an assist on Saturday as Atalanta ended their two-game losing streak with a 2-0 victory at Lazio. Football supporters were incredulous on social media on Monday when Osimhen, Sadio Mane and Salah were all omitted from the FIFA FIFPro Shortlist for the Team of the Year. Salah has certainly endured some difficult months at Liverpool, who have fallen short of the high standards they've set for themselves for much of Jurgen Klopp's tenure, but his showing against Everton on Monday was possibly his best performance since netting a hat-trick in October's 7-1 demolition of Rangers in the UEFA Champions League. Salah demonstrated the directness, technique and dogged determination that characterised his peak years at Anfield to ensure a relentless evening for his direct foe Vitalii Mykolenko. He netted the opener for the Reds -- finishing a searing counter-attacking move after a one-two with Darwin Nunez, and a grave miscalculation from Jordan Pickford -- and ended the game with more shots on target and more fouls won than any other player on the pitch. Only Alex Iwobi, who fought manfully against Liverpool's increasing control, completed more successful dribbles than the 30-year-old Salah, who showed glimpses of the form he enjoyed in October and November. In the 2020-21 season, Salah and Mane inspired the Reds to a top-four finish despite an injury crisis; could the Egyptian superstar fire Liverpool back into UCL contention again this term?
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