A row between Jurgen Klopp and Mohamed Salah, the greatest player of his Liverpool era, in full view of the London Stadium and the television cameras, suggested that all was not well at a club that as good as signalled the end of their title challenge with another two points dropped.
There was a remarkable exchange between Salah and Klopp when the player prepared to come on with 13 minutes remaining – one of a number of first-team players left on the bench following defeat at Goodison Park on Wednesday. Indeed, Salah seemed so intent on prolonging the disagreement that both his fellow substitutes, Darwin Nunez and Joe Gomez, intervened to try to shepherd him away.
Salah was asked to speak to reporters after the match but declined the request and said, pointedly: “If I speak today there will be fire.”
The three had been waiting to come on when Michail Antonio scored the second of West Ham’s goals to bring the score level. Klopp had left Salah, Nunez, Domnik Szoboszlai, Ibrahima Konate and Curtis Jones out of the side that lost to Everton. His team fell behind at the end of the first half to Jarrod Bowen’s goal in what was another struggle to locate the rhythm and purpose of earlier in the season. A win would have taken them level on points with leaders Arsenal, albeit having played a game extra.
The Salah-Klopp exchange will ask serious questions as to whether the striker stays at Liverpool this summer with a year left on his contract. Klopp is just three games from the end of his Liverpool reign and much uncertainty surrounds the future of three of his biggest names – Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Salah. The Egyptian left the pitch swiftly at the end of the game as Klopp came on to see his players.
Klopp refused to be drawn on the incident when asked afterwards.
“We spoke already. For me it’s done,” he said.
Former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch said: “It didn’t look good. It’s not good for the club – nobody likes to see this, between a manager and a key player.”
Ally McCoist, who was on co-commentary duty, said: “It’s not good at all. That sort of stuff should be for behind closed doors.”
After a slow first half in which Liverpool could not turn possession into goals, Klopp’s side once again conceded from a set-piece. A corner short to Mohammed Kudus was headed in by Bowen. Andy Robertson and Cody Gakpo scored in the second half as the pressure mounted on West Ham. But Antonio was unmarked by Van Dijk and Jarell Quansah and free to head in another cross from Kudus.
More to follow…
Source Agencies
