Mohamed Salah ruined the attempts of Jurgen Klopp to play down their touchline exchange at West Ham when the Liverpool forward claimed there would be “fire” if he stopped to speak following the 2-2 draw.
The Reds were eager to bounce back after a painful midweek loss in the Merseyside derby and Klopp dropped Salah to the bench in an attempt to jolt his weary team into form.
While they established a 2-1 lead midway through the second half at London Stadium, Michail Antonio effectively ended their faint Premier League title hopes when he headed home an equaliser for West Ham with 13 minutes left.
Salah had been waiting to come on before Antonio’s goal and was involved in an animated conversation with Klopp.
It ended with fellow substitute Darwin Nunez being forced to push team-mate Salah away before they entered the fray, but they could not find a late winner in the capital.
“We spoke about it in the dressing room and that is done for me,” Klopp insisted.
Asked if Salah was OK with it, Klopp claimed: “That was my impression.”
However, when Salah walked through the mixed zone at West Ham and was asked to stop, he admitted: “There’s gonna be a fire today if I speak.”
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.
