Mohamed Salah and Jurgen Klopp had a falling out as Liverpool wasted another chance to close the gap to Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Following Arsenal’s win over Chelsea on Tuesday, Liverpool had the chance to reclaim top spot in the league by beating Everton and West Ham, albeit temporarily.
Mikel Arteta’s side and Manchester City would both then have the chance to leapfrog them on Sunday.
But the rest of the week has gone disastrously for Jurgen Klopp’s team, with Everton securing a rare 2-0 win over Liverpool at Goodison Park, before West Ham scored a 77th-minute equaliser to snatch a 2-2 draw at the London Stadium a few days later.
Liverpool’s title charge has suffered a major blow as a result, and things only got worse towards the end of Saturday’s early kick-off.
With Mohamed Salah preparing to come on, TV cameras caught an angry exchange between the winger and his soon-to-be-departing manager.
Klopp appeared to say something to Salah first, and Salah responded angrily, making gestures and being held back by Darwin Nunez.
A heated exchange between Mohamed Salah and Jürgen Klopp on the sidelines just before West Ham's equaliser 😳
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/HuOJwvePWE
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 27, 2024
Klopp initially tried to play down the exchange after the game, saying: “We spoke already in the dressing room. For me, that’s done.”
But Salah then pored further fuel on the flames, refusing to take interviews and saying: “If I speak today, there will be fire.”
“If I speak there will be fire today”
— Anfield Sector (@AnfieldSector) April 27, 2024
Liverpool’s title chances are now hanging by a thread. They’re already two points behind Arsenal, even if the Gunners lose their game in hand against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
But Manchester City remain the favourites, one point ahead of Liverpool with two games in hand. They could be seven points clear of Klopp’s side if they win those extra matches, with only three games left for Liverpool to play.
With Liverpool’s star goalscorer falling out with the manager and games against Champions League hopefuls Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa coming next, winning the title is seemingly out of the question now.