JURGEN KLOPP was left frustrated on the touchline with Mo Salah’s defensive contribution moments before hooking him off, according to reports.
The German boss raised eyebrows when he subbed the Premier League’s top scorer and talisman with his side 1-0 behind to Chelsea just after the hour mark.
Mo Salah was fuming when he was hooked off against ChelseaCredit: Reuters
Salah, 28, appeared suprised when his number went up and failed to hide his frustration as he headed off the field.
It was his earliest substitution in a game since September 2017.
According to sports reporter Matt Critchley, who was inside Anfield, Klopp was ‘screaming at him to track back’ before opting to bring on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
He wrote on Twitter: “Salah not happy at being taken off.
“Shaking his head as walked to bench. But 5 mins ago Klopp was screaming at him to track back & help out defensively, he was a long way off.
“Bit of a half-hearted jog. Klopp turned to Ljinders almost straight away & they discussed replacing him.”
Pressure is mounting on the shoulders of Klopp after Liverpool lost five consecutive home matches for the first time in their history.
They have also scored one goal at Anfield this year and last won at home in December.
It was the earliest Salah has been subbed off since September 2017Credit: Reuters
Defending Salah’s reaction to being subbed, Klopp said: “I’m happy when the boys look disappointed, that’s not a problem.
“I didn’t see it from Mo. The reason for the sub was I could have changed other players as well but the reason was he looked like he felt the intensity and I didn’t want to risk him.
“That’s all. It’s really rare and usually Mo looks surprisingly fresh until the end.
“I thought he didn’t look fresh any more. The last two or three years have nothing to do with that.”
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Liverpool vs Chelsea as it happened
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
