UK national media slams 'selfish' Mohamed Salah as crucial Liverpool shift spotted

Liverpool was held twice by a resilient Leeds United on Saturday evening as they secured a 3-3 draw in dramatic fashion at Elland Road. After falling behind 2-0 to Hugo Ekitike's brace, the visitors hit back through Dominic Calvert-Lewin's spot-kick before Anton Stach drew level just two minutes later.

Following a sublime Dominik Szoboszlai strike that appeared to have secured a hard-fought victory for the Reds, Ao Tanaka netted Leeds' equaliser in the dying moments to claim a point for Daniel Farke's side.

However, all of that proved to be merely the warm-up act for the main spectacle as Mohamed Salah stunned the footballing world post-match by claiming he has been "thrown under the bus" by Liverpool whilst also disclosing that his relationship with Arne Slot has completely deteriorated.

The explosive interview has left Liverpool fans questioning what lies ahead both immediately and in the longer term for the club's third-highest goalscorer of all time.

Reports from the national media have also been offering their own perspectives on a remarkable and unfolding story that will likely see Slot bombarded with questions when he meets the press in Milan on Monday ahead of Tuesday's Champions League encounter with Inter at the San Siro.

Oliver Holt - Daily Mail - "Timing is everything for a goal scorer and from Mo Salah this couldn't be worse. As such, it absolutely stinks.

"Standing in the rain by a team bus – as his manager and team-mates come to terms with another dismal afternoon – Salah decided to do what no truly great footballer should ever do. He piled on some misery of his own. He put his own needs first. How desperately selfish and self-defeating. How depressing.

"In the space of a handful of short but premeditated and deliberately impactful sentences he has brought more pain, stress and misery to the door of his manager Arne Slot and brought his own Anfield legacy into question in the process.

"Just an hour after the whistle had blown on Liverpool's 3-3 draw at Leeds, Salah accused Slot of throwing him 'under the bus' and spoke of having 'no relationship' with his manager.

"The second part of that may be true. Who knows? It happens in football. As for the first part, Salah has merely been taken out of the team, that's all. Thrown under the bus? With Salah in the team, this has been a bus running on three wheels. Something had to give and it did."

Beth Lindop - ESPN - "Mohamed Salah always picks his moments. It's this impeccable sense of timing that has catapulted the Egyptian international to staggering heights on the football pitch, where over the past eight-and-a-half years, he's solidified his status as a true Liverpool legend.

"Similarly, Salah's history of infrequent but often explosive exchanges with the press suggests that the forward knew precisely the chaos he would unleash by telling journalists he felt 'thrown under the bus' by his club during their recent challenging run of results.

"After Liverpool twice relinquished their lead in a six-goal spectacle that concluded 3-3 against newly promoted Leeds United, it seems almost unthinkable that a player who observed the entire match from the bench should dominate the post-match headlines. But Salah is no ordinary player, and for both him and Liverpool, these are exceptional times.

"It's been less than eight months since Salah and head coach Slot celebrated one of the greatest days of their respective careers when Liverpool clinched the Premier League title in front of fans at Anfield.

"At that juncture, the ink was barely dry on the lucrative two-year contract extension Salah had inked in early April, amidst a standout season in which he netted 34 goals across all competitions and bagged a slew of individual accolades, including the PFA Players' Player of the Year Award.

"But with Liverpool's title defence having veered drastically off course, it seems all cordiality between the Reds' talismanic forward and his boss has been eroded, with the pair's relationship now seemingly irretrievable. Last term, Salah pointed to Slot's willingness to absolve him of defensive responsibilities as one of the reasons for his scintillating form.

"In February, the 33-year-old's notoriously outspoken agent, Ramy Abbas Issa, took to social media to publicly praise Slot, describing the Dutchman as being 'excellent at his job.'".

"Now, though, with Liverpool having won just four of their last 15 games in all competitions, it is clear that Salah has no intention of being the scapegoat for the club's drastic fall from grace."

James Pearce - The Athletic - "On the previous occasion Mohamed Salah publicly vented his frustration over being relegated to bench duty at Liverpool, he limited himself to seven words.

"'If I speak, there will be fire,' he said without breaking stride after a bust-up with Jurgen Klopp on the touchline as he waited to come on against West Ham United at the London Stadium in April 2024.

"But when the Egypt forward emerged from the away dressing room at Elland Road on Saturday evening and made a beeline for reporters it was crystal clear that he was in no mood to keep his counsel. This time he stopped and had plenty he wanted to get off his chest. He has never spoken to the UK written media for so long during a Liverpool career spanning more than eight years.

"It was premeditated and the fire just kept on coming.

"Without even being asked about Arne Slot, he offered up that his relationship with the Dutchman had completely broken down and revealed that he had asked his parents to attend next Saturday's visit of Brighton and Hove Albion, admitting it could be his Anfield farewell as "someone doesn't want me in the club". He left the door open to a possible January move. It was incendiary.

"This was no angry rant. The third-highest goalscorer in the club's history was calm and composed throughout. 'Thank you, guys,' he said at the end of a remarkable seven-and-a-half minutes. As Salah walked away, he left a towering inferno in his wake."

Sam Wallace - The Telegraph - "Of all the things he could have done, Mohamed Salah must surely have known that for a Liverpool manager under pressure, and a club in trouble, this was among the most damaging of them all.

"It was an extraordinary outburst from one of the titans of English football who has remained largely silent with the press for a decade. His frustration at being benched by Arne Slot for an unprecedented third consecutive match was palpable. In the initial hours of this latest Anfield drama, it will be Salah's words that take center stage – and then gradually, the focus will shift to what his comments reveal about him.

"The crux of his argument centered on what Liverpool owes him, as its most prolific modern goalscorer, third in the all-time rankings and the key figure in the club's resurgence in the latter half of the previous decade and the current one. Indeed, there is much that a club, even one with as many legends in its history as Liverpool, owes Salah.

"Firstly, there's the most lucrative contract in the club's history that Liverpool deemed Salah worthy of with his two-year extension in April. Then there are other aspects that can't be quantified in pounds sterling. The eternal gratitude of the club. A spot among the greats. But the one thing that no one is guaranteed unconditionally is a place in the team.

"If the deal to keep a player of Salah's status is that he has to play each and every game, then he is asking the single thing that no serious club can grant him. As for the respect that Salah thinks is missing, this is a club that renewed his contract this year on a salary comfortably more than it had ever paid any player, and then put him on a throne in the middle of Anfield with a crown on his head. Quite what part of that says 'thrown under the bus' is not clear."