Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw against West Ham United in the Premier League yesterday.
The Reds found themselves trailing early on after a goal from Jarrod Bowen, but they did well to bounce back strongly with goals from Andrew Robertson and Cody Gakpo. The Reds would have expected to win the game, but West Ham managed to score the leveller through Michail Antonio.
Jurgen Klopp decided to change the game in favour of his side by bringing on players like Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez. However, a comment from the Liverpool manager on the touchline while the Egyptian was coming on sparked a reaction from the player.
Salah seemed agitated before coming on and Nunez had to intervene and calm things down between the Egyptian and the Liverpool manager.
Former Premier League striker and Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer feels that Salah’s reaction is probably justified. He feels that the Egyptian was annoyed because he was left out of the starting lineup. Players of his quality will want to play every week, and the decision from the manager did not go down well with him.
“We don’t know what Klopp has said to him there, he’s said something that has riled him,” he said to BBC.
“He’s obviously got the right hump with being left out and probably rightly so. Even though he hasn’t hit the heights that Mo Salah has done over the years, he’s been unbelievable.
“Ignores Jurgen, gives the Liverpool fans a little round of applause and goes straight down the tunnel but we’re guessing as to what Jurgen said to him. I understand if Mo has got the right hump because the number of times he’s been Liverpool’s saviour and Liverpool’s superstar. He’s got 17 in 25 league starts. Anyone else you’d look at that and think that was unbelievable. It’s a shame it’s going to end like that.”
Salah-Klopp bust-up not a good look for the club
Regardless of that, the public spat between the player and the manager is not a good look for the club.
The Egyptian international was spotted walking down the tunnel at full-time, and he skipped the post match pleasantries with his manager. The Liverpool attacker skipped requests of a post-match interview after the game as well. He sparked further controversy by claiming that there would be fire if he spoke after the game.
On the other hand, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed that he spoke to the Egyptian after the game, and the matter has been cleared as far as he is concerned.
Salah has been an indispensable asset for Liverpool and the reaction from him will certainly come as a major disappointment to the supporters. Klopp is in the final few matches of his Liverpool tenure and the fans will certainly hope that they can work out their differences.
