BITTER END
Axed Salah fumes after Klopp strop: If I speak there’ll be fire
JURGEN KLOPP and Mo Salah were involved in a furious touchline bust-up yesterday as Liverpool’s slim titles hopes suffered a fatal blow at West Ham.
The 2-2 draw leaves Liverpool trailing Arsenal and Manchester City in the Premier League table, with the title rivals having one and two games in hand respectively.
When asked to reveal his thoughts on their heated exchange, Salah said: ‘If I speak, there will be fire.’
The pair clashed as Salah, who was dropped from the starting XI following a string of underwhelming performances in recent weeks, was preparing to come on as a substitute and the Egyptian appeared to snub the offer of a handshake from his manager. Klopp said something to Salah and the forward reacted angrily, with Darwin Nunez acting as peacemaker and holding his team-mate back.
Salah had his arms outstretched and was pointing a finger towards the German boss.
The 31-year-old’s response to reporters when asked for his reaction about the match as he was leaving the London Stadium did little to defuse the situation.
Klopp had minutes earlier tried to shut it down and said: ‘We spoke about that moment in the dressing room with the lads, it’s done.’ Asked if the issue was resolved, the manager added: ‘Yes, that’s my feeling.’
Salah was dropped for the second game in a week — having also started on the bench at Fulham last Sunday — and could not help Liverpool overcome West Ham.
Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio scored for the hosts, with an own goal adding to Andy Robertson’s strike. It was the third time
Liverpool had dropped points in their last four league games after recent defeats against Crystal Palace and Everton.
Klopp’s team also crashed out of the Europa League after a shock quarter-final defeat by Atalanta.
The draw at West Ham has all but extinguished their faint hopes of Klopp bowing out with a second Premier League title in his final season in English football.
Salah’s future is also in considerable doubt with the club’s star forward out of contract next summer and expected to be the subject of significant bids from Saudi Arabia at the end of the season.
Opposite number David Moyes will be pleased to see the back of Klopp, though.
‘I’ll be glad he’s gone,’ joked Moyes. ‘F***ing too big, teeth are too bright! He’s been huge… I hate seeing it because I have worked against him for clubs who are Liverpool’s biggest rivals (Everton and Manchester United).
‘But he’s been immense for Liverpool. He’s the daddy there! He’s been able to control a big football club which is not easy to do at times.
‘And I’m glad to see the back of him I have got to say. The Premier League brings in lots of managers from different places, some come and go very quickly, some last the course.
‘Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola, obviously Jurgen and Arsene Wenger.
‘Some last the course, a lot of others cannot. Jurgen has been really good, I hate saying it, he has been really good. Pleased to see him move on!’