Michail Antonio lifts lid on Salah and Klopp Liverpool Spat
West Ham players have been talking about the confrontation that occurred between Mohamed Salah and Jurgen Klopp on the sidelines during Saturday’s match when Liverpool visited the London Stadium.
David Moyes’ team managed to secure a draw against the Reds, dealing another significant blow to Liverpool’s title aspirations this season, particularly in Klopp’s final campaign at Anfield.
West Ham went ahead with a goal from Jarrod Bowen before Andrew Robertson equalized for Liverpool.
Liverpool appeared poised to complete the comeback with an own goal by Alphonse Areola, but Michail Antonio scored for West Ham in the 77th minute to level the score.
Following the match, much of the discussion revolved around a heated exchange between Liverpool star Salah and Klopp on the sidelines.
The Egyptian international didn’t start the game and had to settle for a place on the bench. However, Klopp brought him on with 10 minutes left to play. As Salah prepared to enter the field, the two were seen arguing by the Liverpool dugout.
Speaking on the Footballer’s Football Podcast this week, Antonio said, “This is not insider information. I want to put that out there. What I’ve heard, what the boys have been talking about on the training ground, every time players come on, Klopp gives them a big hug.
“Mo walked in a different direction and was busy adjusting his shin pads and stuff. Klopp put his hand out, and it was just there for a bit. When Mo stopped what he was doing, Klopp kind of just slapped his hand, like a hi-five type of thing.”
“Klopp didn’t like that so is like, ‘Do you want to sit back down?’. No one has told me what Mo said back. That’s the situation. Because they are not performing, it’s going to be turmoil. Knowing the Premier League title could be drifting away from them, tensions are going to be high and they are only human.”
The Liverpool manager remained elusive about the situation after the game but admitted that he and Salah had since discussed it. Klopp said, “We spoke about it in the dressing room, but it’s done for me. That’s it.”
Meanwhile, Salah was overheard saying, “There will be fire today if I speak,” indicating that he was still clearly unhappy after the match. Salah has made 29 Premier League appearances this season, scoring 17 goals and providing nine assists.
Speaking on the BBC podcast, Fulham player Tom Cairney shared his opinion. He said, “I understand if he’s upset about being on the bench; he’s been such a big player for them over the years.
“Something must have been said before he came on. The handshake didn’t look good. Normally, they give Klopp a cuddle, they go into his chest; it seemed a bit cold.
“It looked like Klopp said something, Salah bit back, and Klopp isn’t used to players biting back because he has that authority and stature. You know something has gone wrong if Nunez is holding you back!”
Michail Antonio lifts lid on Salah and Klopp Liverpool Spat
