Mohamed Salah took aim at Liverpool manager Arne Slot in an astonishing rant that could spell the end of his legendary career at Anfield after claiming he has been “thrown under the bus” during the Premier League champions’ slump in form.
The Egyptian was left on the bench for the third consecutive game in Saturday’s 3-3 draw at Leeds and was not even introduced as a substitute by Slot (all times local).
After next weekend’s home match against Brighton, Salah is set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations and hinted that could be his final appearance in a Liverpool shirt should he be selected.
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“I’m very, very disappointed. I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season,” Salah told reporters in the mixed zone at Elland Road.
“Now I’m sitting on the bench and I don’t know why. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame.
“I got a lot of promises in the summer and so far I am in the bench for three games, so I can’t say they keep the promise. I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager and all of a sudden, we don’t have any relationship. I don’t know why, but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn’t want me in the club.
“This club, I always support it. My kids will always support it. I love the club so much, I will always do. I called my mum yesterday — you guys didn’t know if I would start or not, but I knew.
“Yesterday I said to (my parents), ‘Come to the Brighton game.’ I don’t know if I am going to play or not but I am going to enjoy it.
“In my head, I’m going to enjoy that game because I don’t know what is going to happen now. I will be at Anfield to say goodbye to the fans and go the Africa cup. I don’t know what is going to happen when I am there.”
Salah is Liverpool’s third highest goalscorer of all time with 250 goals in 420 appearances for the club.
However, he has been a shadow of his former self during Liverpool’s struggles this season.
Slot’s men have won just two of their last 10 Premier League games to slip to eighth in the table.
Another embarrassing capitulation ramps up the pressure on Slot.
The Reds led 2-0 and 3-2 thanks to Hugo Ekitike’s quickfire double and Dominik Szoboszlai’s strike but still failed to see the game out as they failed to win for the eighth time in their last 10 league games.
Slot’s faith in Ibrahima Konate will again by questioned after the French centre-back conceded a penalty that Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted to spark the fightback.
Anton Stach levelled before Szoboszlai quickly restored Liverpool’s lead. But deep into stoppage-time, Liverpool failed to deal with a corner and Ao Tanaka was unmarked to blast home.
Liverpool is showing no signs of arresting an alarming slide since they clinched a record-equalling 20th title last season.
“There’s a sense of disbelief,” Slot said.
“It’s not about me. It’s about us. “The players have worked so hard and again to concede from a set-piece, the 10th or 11th this season.
“If you concede so many you cannot be higher up the table than we are.”
ARSENAL ROCKED BY ASTON VILLA, MAN CITY CUT GAP TO TWO POINTS
Aston Villa ended Arsenal’s 18-match unbeaten run to blow the Premier League title race wide open with a 2-1 victory on Saturday as Manchester City beat Sunderland 3-0 to close within two points of the leaders.
While Arsenal and City joust for the title, troubled champions Liverpool suffered another blow as lowly Leeds snatched a last-gasp 3-3 draw in one of the most dramatic games of the season.
Emiliano Buendia’s stoppage-time strike at Villa Park stunned Arsenal and gave Unai Emery’s third-placed side their ninth win in 10 league games.
“We were pushing and we were really, really believing in our victory,” said Emery. “We pushed until the last minute, and we got it.”
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Arsenal were without the injured Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba and Cristhian Mosquera in defence and the normally rock solid visitors struggled to cope with Villa’s variety of attacking weapons.
Eberechi Eze was caught on his heels as Matty Cash blasted Emery’s men into a half-time lead.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta responded by introducing Viktor Gyokeres and Leandro Trossard at the break and got the impact he demanded.
Trossard equalised with his 50th Premier League goal, from Bukayo Saka’s deflected cross.
But Arsenal’s quest to end a 22-year wait to win the title hit a rare bump in the road this season when Buendia fired into the top corner with virtually the last kick of the game after a goalmouth scramble.
“Losing it in the manner that we did in the last kick of the game was very painful and disappointing,” said Arteta.
City took full advantage of Arsenal’s defeat to close the gap at the top with a routine 3-0 win over Sunderland.
On a rare shot-shy day for Erling Haaland, City’s centre-backs lead the way as Ruben Dias blasted into the top corner from distance before Josko Gvardiol headed in a second before half-time.
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Phil Foden scored for the fifth time in three games to round off the scoring in the second half.
Chelsea’s title challenge is fading fast after three games without a win. Cole Palmer’s return to the starting line-up for the first time since September could not inspire the Blues as they were held 0-0 at Bournemouth to sit eight points off the lead in fourth.
Tottenham eased the pressure on Thomas Frank with their first home league win since the opening day of the season, against his former club Brentford.
Spurs were winless in five games in all competitions, but moved back into the top half with a 2-0 win courtesy of first-half goals from Richarlison and Xavi Simons.
Newcastle continued their upward trajectory with a 2-1 win over 10-man Burnley at St James’ Park.
Sean Dyche’s return to Everton as Nottingham Forest boss ended in a 3-0 defeat.
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