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Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma has recounted his first-ever Premier League start against Liverpool, stating that he was awestruck by Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
Bissouma's first game on English shores came after he joined Brighton & Hove Albion from LOSC Lille back in 2018. He made his debut for the Seagulls in their league opener against Watford, but his first start for the club came at Anfield on August 25, 2018.
Liverpool edged that game 1-0, with Salah scoring in the 23rd minute from a Roberto Firmino assist. The Egyptian played all 90 minutes of the contest, while Bissouma and Mane were both substituted by their respective teams in the 80th minute.
During a recent interview with Tottenham's YouTube channel, Bissouma explained the emotions he went through in the tunnel before the match. He said (as quoted by TBR Football):
“During that match I came out of the locker room and I saw [Virgil] van Dijk, I saw Mane, I saw Salah. These were the guys I saw on TV when I was in France, and now I was in the same tunnel going up against them, it was like a dream, do you know what I mean?
“Mane and Salah were my idols, and I just thought ‘woah’. My heart was beating fast.”
Bissouma ended up making 28 appearances in the Premier League that season, helping Brighton finish 17th, just two points above the relegation zone. In the next three seasons, he played a pivotal role as the Seagulls finished 15th, 16th and ninth.
Liverpool, on the other hand, ended the 2018-19 campaign second in the league with a mammoth 97 points, just one adrift of winners Manchester City. Salah and Mane each scored 22 goals to share the Premier League Golden Boot with then-Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The Reds notably won the UEFA Champions League that season, beating Bissouma's future employers Tottenham 2-0 in the final.
Bissouma's Tottenham and Salah's Liverpool have started the 2023-24 season in good form
Both Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool have enjoyed excellent starts to the 2023-24 season after enduring disappointing 2022-23 campaigns. While Spurs finished last season eighth in the league, the Reds finished fifth, only securing UEFA Europa League football for this season.
This time around, Jurgen Klopp's side sit second in the standings with 27 points from 12 matches, just one behind leaders Manchester City. Tottenham, meanwhile, began the league season by winning eight and drawing two of their first 10 games before losing consecutive matches. They are fourth with 26 points.
Yves Bissouma has been one of their star performers after struggling last season under Antonio Conte. The Mali international has started 11 of their 12 league matches, averaging 1.6 interceptions, 3.3 tackles, 5.5 balls recovered and 7.5 duels won per game. He has completed 92% of his passes as well.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah has excelled once again for Liverpool, scoring 10 goals and assisting four more in 12 Premier League matches. He has also averaged 2.3 key passes, 1.4 shots on target and 2.2 balls recovered per game.
