Salah double pushes Liverpool 9 points clear and Nottingham Forest enjoys 7-0 rout

Mohamed Salah’s double helped Liverpool pass a huge test of its Premier League title credentials after winning at in-form Bournemouth 2-0 and establishing a nine-point lead on Saturday.

High-flying rival Nottingham Forest also made a statement of its own in a record rout of Brighton by 7-0.

Salah moved above Chelsea great Frank Lampard to sixth on the all-time Premier League scoring chart, on 178 goals, by converting a 30th-minute penalty and curling in a beautiful second in the 75th.

The Egypt forward has 21 goals in what could be his last Premier League campaign with Liverpool, with whom his contract is up at the end of the season. It's the fifth time he has netted 20 or more league goals in a single season for the club.

It ended Bournemouth’s 11-match unbeaten run in the league and left Liverpool with a commanding advantage over both second-placed Arsenal and third-placed Forest, which bounced back from a 5-0 loss last weekend — also at Bournemouth — by demolishing Brighton for its biggest victory in the Premier League era.

Chris Wood scored a hat trick for Forest, which is on course to qualify for a European competition next season — potentially even the Champions League by securing a finish in the top four or five.

Arsenal hosts Manchester City on Sunday and will look to trim the gap to Liverpool back down to six points.

Liverpool will be tough to stop now, with just 15 games left of a campaign in which Arne Slot's team has shown plenty of resilience to lose only once.

The Dutch manager acknowledged Liverpool's latest win came with a hint of fortune, with Bournemouth twice hitting the post and seeing Justin Kluivert shooting wide in front of an open goal.

“If you want to win here, maybe you need a bit of luck because the margins are so small,” Slot said.

"It was a close call for us to win this game. We weren’t unlucky, let’s put it that way.”

Liverpool right back Trent Alexander-Arnold went off in the 70th with a suspected thigh injury and will undergo a scan. Slot said he would “be surprised” if Alexander-Arnold played against Tottenham in the second leg of the English League Cup semifinals on Thursday, when Liverpool will look to overturn a 1-0 deficit.

Wood, a 33-year-old New Zealand international enjoying the most prolific Premier League season of his career, took his tally to 17 goals with his hat trick. Wood is behind only Salah (21) and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (18) in the race for the Golden Boot.

Morgan Gibbs-White, Neco Williams and Jota Silva also scored after an own-goal by Lewis Dunk set the ball rolling at the City Ground for third-placed Forest, which is the surprise of the Premier League this season and moved level on 47 points with Arsenal.

“What a difference a week can make,” Wood said, referring to Forest's heavy loss at Bournemouth. “Last week wasn't us. Today was definitely us.”

Forest battled to avoid relegation last season but now has a great chance of qualifying for the Champions League, which would put the club back in Europe’s elite — where it was two generations ago when winning the European Cup in 1979 and 1980.

Abdoulaye Doucoure scored the fourth-fastest goal in Premier League history — after just 10.18 seconds, according to the competition's statistic supplier, Opta — to set Everton on course for a 4-0 win over Leicester.

From the kickoff, the ball went back to goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who launched a long clearance toward the Leicester area and directly into the path of Doucoure. The midfielder surged into the area and slotted home.

It was the earliest Everton has ever scored in the Premier League, the fourth fastest goal in the competition’s history, and the quickest ever by a home player.

Beto, a striker filling in for the injured Dominic Calvert-Lewin, scored twice in the first half and Iliman Ndiaye added a late fourth to complete a third straight win for recently hired Everton manager David Moyes, who is enjoying a fine start to his second spell in charge.

Leicester was coming off a win at Tottenham that eased the pressure on manager Ruud van Nistelrooy but dropped them into the relegation zone. They were overtaken by Wolverhampton after its 2-0 win over Aston Villa in the late game thanks to goals by Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Matheus Cunha.

Ahead of the game, Villa was linked with a move for Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford, having sold Colombia international Jhon Duran to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia on Friday.

Fulham came from behind to beat Newcastle 2-1 away after goals by strikers Raul Jimenez and Rodrigo Muniz, while last-placed Southampton won by the same score at Ipswich thanks to Paul Onuachu's 87th-minute goal for just a second victory in the league.

Still, Southampton was only on nine points and 10 points from safety.

Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, left, celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Bournemouth and Liverpool at the Vitality stadium in Bournemouth, England, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Everton's Abdoulaye Doucoure celebrates scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Leicester City at Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, Saturday Feb. 1, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah reacts after scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Bournemouth and Liverpool at the Vitality stadium in Bournemouth, England, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Bournemouth and Liverpool at the Vitality stadium in Bournemouth, England, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, background right, scores his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Bournemouth and Liverpool at the Vitality stadium in Bournemouth, England, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Everton's Abdoulaye Doucoure celebrates scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Leicester City at Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, Saturday Feb. 1, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Bournemouth and Liverpool at the Vitality stadium in Bournemouth, England, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson and Brighton and Hove Albion's Yankuba Minteh, right, battle for the ball during the Premier League match between Brighton and Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, Nottingham, England, Saturday Feb. 1, 2025. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

Brighton and Hove Albion manager Fabian Hurzeler looks on during the Premier League match between Brighton and Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, Nottingham, England, Saturday Feb. 1, 2025. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White celebrates scoring his side's second goal of the game during the Premier League match between Brighton and Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, Nottingham, England, Saturday Feb. 1, 2025. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White scores his side's second goal of the game during the Premier League match between Brighton and Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, Nottingham, England, Saturday Feb. 1, 2025. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White celebrates assisting the opening goal, an own goal scored by Brighton and Hove Albion's Lewis Dunk, not pictured, during the Premier League match between Brighton and Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, Nottingham, England, Saturday Feb. 1, 2025. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

Nottingham Forest's Chris Wood scores his side's third goal of the game during the Premier League match between Brighton and Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, Nottingham, England, Saturday Feb. 1, 2025. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

Nottingham Forest's Chris Wood celebrates after scoring his side's third goal of the game during the Premier League match between Brighton and Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, Nottingham, England, Saturday Feb. 1, 2025. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)

Nottingham Forest's Chris Wood scores his side's third goal of the game during the Premier League match between Brighton and Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, Nottingham, England, Saturday Feb. 1, 2025. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)