Jurgen Klopp jumps to defence of Mo Salah amid simulation criticism
Last Updated: November 3, 2020 1:12 pm
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has spoken out over the latest diving storm surrounding Mohamed Salah, on the back of his side’s win over West Ham United.
Jota strikes late
The champions welcomed West Ham to Anfield on Saturday, for their latest Premier League outing.
Despite some abysmal luck on the injury front of late, Liverpool headed into proceedings amid a fine spell of form, which had seen them secure wins in the club’s last 3 outings across all competitions.
The Reds were no doubt aware, though, that West Ham would prove no pushovers, with David Moyes’ men having also thoroughly impressed over recent weeks.
As such, it came as little surprise when Saturday’s action proved hard-fought, with just a solitary goal separating the sides following the full-time whistle.
It was the hosts who came out on top, courtesy of some late brilliance from substitute Diogo Jota.
After Mohamed Salah had cancelled out Pablo Fornals’ early opener late in the first-half, Jota, just minutes after having a go-ahead strike disallowed, struck once again, after being slipped in on goal by fellow sub Xherdan Shaqiri.
Highlights: Liverpool 2-1 West Ham
‘It was a foul…’
An otherwise positive day’s work for Liverpool on Saturday, however, was soured ever so slightly by something of a media storm surrounding Mo Salah.
As outlined above, Egyptian attacker Salah levelled things up versus West Ham, courtesy of a well-struck spot-kick.
The former Roma man was also responsible for earning the penalty, following a challenge from Irons’ stopper Arthur Masuaku in the 40th-minute.
At first glance, it did indeed look as though Masuaku had simply taken Salah out, with a needless challenge from behind.
Upon replays being broadcast, however, it quickly became evident that minimal contact had been made between the pair, with the fall of the Liverpool wide-man having actually had nothing to do with Masuaku’s tackle.
Mo Salah fires #LFC level from the spot! 🎯
Masuaku’s kick on the Egyptian left the referee with no option but to point to the spot! ⚽
📺 Watch on Sky Sports PL
📱 Follow #LIVWHU here: https://t.co/PrGV7DBfcC
📲 Download the @SkySports app! pic.twitter.com/T7n6TpG4V9— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 31, 2020
Nevertheless, by the rules of the game, the awarding of a spot-kick was the correct decision, with contact, however small, having been forthcoming.
And this is precisely what Jurgen Klopp has since been keen to direct attentions towards, in leaping to Salah’s defence.
Speaking to the media on Monday, the Liverpool boss confirmed that he has spoken to his star attacker regarding the incident, before asserting that he in no way ‘understands the criticism’ directed at Salah over the last 48 hours:
‘It was a foul. Believe it or not.’
‘Yesterday I spoke to Mo about how he feels. He has three proper knocks on the foot and one of them is from the penalty situation. There was clear contact.’
‘No, I don’t understand the criticism.’
Klopp on criticism of Salah: “It was a foul. Believe it or not, yesterday I spoke to Mo about how he feels. He has three proper knocks on the foot and one of them is from the penalty situation. There was clear contact. No, I don’t understand the criticism.” #LFC
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) November 2, 2020
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This article was edited by Josh Barker.
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| Tottenham vs Liverpool Result/Both teams score | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Tottenham | 9/2 | 5/1 |
| Liverpool | 3/1 | 3/1 |
| Draw | 10/3 | 12/1 |
| Tottenham vs Liverpool Goalscorers | First | Last | Anytime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Kane | 7/5 | 7/5 | 10/11 |
| Mohamed Salah | 6/4 | 6/4 | 4/5 |
| Sadio Mane | 11/5 | 11/5 | 13/10 |
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| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City FC | 19 | 23 | 41 |
| 2 | Manchester United FC | 19 | 11 | 40 |
| 3 | Leicester City FC | 19 | 14 | 38 |
| 4 | West Ham United FC | 20 | 6 | 35 |
| 5 | Liverpool FC | 19 | 15 | 34 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 18 | 16 | 33 |
| 7 | Everton FC | 17 | 7 | 32 |
| 8 | Arsenal FC | 20 | 6 | 30 |
| 9 | Aston Villa FC | 17 | 13 | 29 |
| 10 | Chelsea FC | 19 | 10 | 29 |
| 11 | Southampton FC | 19 | 3 | 29 |
| 12 | Leeds United | 19 | -3 | 26 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 20 | -12 | 23 |
| 14 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 19 | -8 | 22 |
| 15 | Burnley FC | 18 | -12 | 19 |
| 16 | Newcastle United FC | 20 | -15 | 19 |
| 17 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 19 | -7 | 17 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 18 | -12 | 12 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 20 | -33 | 11 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 19 | -22 | 5 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 12 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 12 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 11 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 11 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 11 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 10 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 9 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 8 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 8 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 8 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 7 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 7 |
| Gundogan, Ilkay | Manchester City FC | 7 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 7 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 6 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 6 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 6 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 6 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 7 |
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 6 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 5 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 5 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 6 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Reid, Bobby | Fulham FC | 0 | 5 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Dunk, Lewis | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 4 |
| Phillips, Kalvin | Leeds United | 0 | 5 |
| Cash, Matty | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 5 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 4 |
| Kante, N`Golo | Chelsea FC | 0 | 5 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 4 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 0 | 4 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 4 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 0 | 4 |
| Tielemans, Youri | Leicester City FC | 0 | 4 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 11 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 8 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 6 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 5 |
| Robertson, Andrew | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 5 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 5 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 4 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 4 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 4 |
| Adams, Che | Southampton FC | 4 |
| Harrison, Jack | Leeds United | 4 |
| Chilwell, Benjamin | Chelsea FC | 4 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 4 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 3 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 3 |
