With his two goals against Brentford, Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) became the first player to reach the 100-point mark in 2023/24 Fantasy Premier League.
The Egyptian sits at the top of the player standings on 101 points, five ahead of his nearest rival, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (£14.0m).
See: FPL GW12 stats: Haaland hits back to match Salah's haul
Haaland has shown why he is the most-popular player in Fantasy, rewarding his 82 per cent ownership with 13 goals.
Salah, by contrast, is selected by only 46 per cent of managers and has scored three fewer goals than Haaland.
Yet his classification as a midfielder in Fantasy has helped him keep pace with and even outscore the Norwegian for FPL points over the opening 12 Gameweeks.
Salah earns five points in Fantasy for every goal he scores, while Haaland, as a forward, earns four points.
Midfielders also collect one point for a clean sheet, whereas forwards are not rewarded.
Indeed, it has been Liverpool’s improved defensive displays that have helped Salah into triple figures. Jurgen Klopp’s side have kept three of their four clean sheets this season in the last four Gameweeks, earning Salah three points to take him past 100 points.
Haaland better for bonus points
On the other hand, when it comes to collecting bonus points, Haaland’s listing as a forward in Fantasy gives him the edge.
For every goal scored, forwards earn 24 points in the Bonus Points System (BPS), which determines the bonus-point allocation in any given match. As a midfielder, Salah only gets 18 points in the BPS for every goal he scores.
Indeed, Haaland is the top-scoring player in the BPS on 375, while Salah places third on 302, behind the 317 of Newcastle United's Kieran Trippier (£7.0m).
Salah v Haaland points in each Gameweek
| Salah | Haaland | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GW | Pts | Gls | Ass. | BP | Pts | Gls | Ass. | BP |
| 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Total | 101 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 96 | 13 | 3 | 14 |
The underlying numbers show Haaland still has the clear advantage for goal threat over his premium rival.
His 46 shots, 44 shots in the box, 23 big chances and 25 shots on target are all league-leading totals.
Salah, nonetheless, still fares very well. He is second only to Haaland for shots, shots on target and big chances.
The Liverpool star's all-round style of play is also highlighted by his 11 big chances created, at least three more than any other player this season.
Haaland and Salah's 2023/24 stats compared
| Statistic | Haaland | Salah |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 46 | 38 |
| Shots in box | 44 | 29 |
| Big chances | 23 | 14 |
| Shots on target | 25 | 16 |
| Key passes | 14 | 26 |
| Big chances created | 3 | 11 |
Ultimately, it’s easy to see why Haaland is so highly backed, with the Norwegian very likely to reclaim the Golden Boot award.
Salah may not be able to compete with Haaland on pure goal threat alone, but his midfield role in Fantasy, added to his all-round style of play, makes him just as essential for the rest of the season.
View all the latest FPL tips ahead of Gameweek 13 in Fantasy Premier League