United Kingdom/Salah Affair: Player Mohamed Salah relaunches after dispute with manager
According to analysts, Mohamed Salah quickly moved on from his disagreement with Jurgen Klopp last week by scoring the opening goal in Liverpool’s 4-2 victory over Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday, May 5, 2024.
The spat between Salah and his manager towards the end of Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with West Ham last week had dominated discussions in the days that followed. However, the Egyptian regained his place in the starting lineup and once again found the net to set his team on the path to victory against Spurs at Anfield.
Tottenham had renewed hope in their quest for Champions League qualification after Aston Villa’s surprise defeat to Brighton (1-0). But Ange Postecoglou’s side never seemed capable of capitalizing on that result after being outplayed by Liverpool.
The Reds took a 2-0 lead in the 45th minute after Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario pushed away Salah’s shot, only for left-back Andy Robertson to follow up. Gakpo added Liverpool’s third goal five minutes into the second half, heading in a left-footed cross from Harvey Elliott at the far post.
Nine minutes later, it was Elliott’s turn to score, in a moment of individual brilliance that delighted the fans and brought a smile to Klopp’s face. Picking up the ball on the right, Elliott needed just one touch to evade Rodrigo Bentancur. Then, from about twenty meters out, he curled an unstoppable left-footed shot into the top corner, beyond Vicario’s dive.
Postecoglou brought on Richarlison in the hope of salvaging something, and the Brazilian international quickly made an impact by converting Brennan Johnson’s cross in the 72nd minute. He then turned provider for Son Heung-min, who scored from close range five minutes later.
Richarlison forced Alisson into a low save late in the game, leading to Joe Gomez clearing the rebound in mid-air to deny Johnson from converting.