Manager and forward clash as Mo Salah was waiting to come on as a second-half substitute at The London Stadium; Liverpool drew 2-2 with West Ham to leave their title hopes in tatters; Salah said after the match: ‘If I speak there will be fire’
Mo Salah and Jurgen Klopp clashed on the touchline during Liverpool’s 2-2 draw at West Ham.
The incident occurred while Salah, who had been dropped from the starting XI following a much-criticised performance in Wednesday’s Merseyside derby, was waiting to come on with 11 minutes remaining at The London Stadium.
Klopp turned to Salah on the touchline after a missed West Ham chance, and the pair exchanged words before Salah was pushed away by Joe Gomez and Darwin Nunez.
Mo Salah told reporters as he walked through the post-match mixed zone declining interview requests: “If I speak today there will be fire.”
Afterwards Klopp refused to divulge what had sparked the incident, but added: “We spoke already in the dressing room. For me, that’s done.”
Asked if Salah felt the issue was closed, Klopp said in his press conference: “That’s my impression, yes.”
Jamie Carragher posted on X: “The only reason a manager would be unhappy in this situation, is the player took too long to be ready to come on.”
Speaking before kick-off, Tim Sherwood looks at Liverpool’s dwindling title hopes and whether or not they should sell Salah this summer
Liverpool’s latest setback has dealt another significant blow to their faltering title bid. Klopp’s side have won just one of their last five Premier League matches.
They sit a point behind second-placed Man City, who have two games in hand, and two points behind leaders Arsenal, who have one game in hand.
“I’m not in the mood to talk about that to be honest or look at that at all,” Klopp told TNT. “We had to win here, we knew that, and we didn’t, and now we have a little bit more time between now and the next game. We try to get the boys ready again and we will go again.”
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Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
