Mo Salah was left shrugging his frustrations after a half-time chat with Kostas Tsimikas.

The Greek international was spotted deep in conversation with the Egyptian King with the Reds entering the break in the lead at 1-0.

It’s unclear whether the pair were discussing the former Roma man’s surprising chipped miss in the first 45 or the failure to send off an Atalanta player for a blatant denial of a goalscoring opportunity.

Frustrating either way!

You can catch the clip below, courtesy of @fotosynde:

What was Tsimi saying to Mo here? pic.twitter.com/kqpWvEvPWY

— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) April 18, 2024

The post (Video) Watch what Tsimikas and Mo Salah were spotted doing at HT vs Atalanta appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

It was Mo Salah who opened the first half with a goal and possibly should have closed it with another too, as a huge chance passed him by.

The Egyptian King was through on goal and saw the opposition goalkeeper close him down, with an easy decision to chip the stopper being taken.

READ MORE: (Video) Salah handed chance to give Liverpool perfect start from the spot

Instead of finding the back of the net though, it went way wide from our No.11 and left a two-goal mountain to still be climbed at half time in Bergamo.

You can watch the Salah chance courtesy of beIN Sports (via @AlmedaDufo75613 on X):

تابع الحساب الاساسي :@iT7HD pic.twitter.com/jmxvHzpiZY

— ليالي الابطال (@AlmedaDufo75613) April 18, 2024

EOTK Insider with Jan Age Fjortoft: Why Alonso said no to LFC, who will replace Klopp now? The PL winners will be…

The post (Video) Salah misses chipped chance to double Liverpool lead before half time appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s return to the Liverpool team was felt immediately after he first sprayed a long ball to Luis Diaz and then his cross led to a Matteo Ruggeri handball inside the box.

It was no surprise to see Mo Salah step up and take the responsibility and it was equally as inevitable the ball ended up inside the back of the net.

READ MORE: (Image) The ‘ramshackle s****y stand’ Liverpool fans are coping with in Italy

It was a beginning to the game that Jurgen Klopp could only dream of and the celebration of picking up the ball and running back to the halfway line showed the mindset of the whole team.

You can watch Salah’s goal via @footballontnt on X:

Ice in those veins!

Mo Salah gives Liverpool the lead early on from the spot…

@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK #UEL pic.twitter.com/owbbBmY8TT

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 18, 2024

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The post (Video) Salah tucks away chance to give Liverpool perfect start from the penalty spot appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

The Liverpool squad will know that they’ve made hard work of the second leg against Atalanta by handing the home side a three-goal lead but the interaction between Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold shows morale is quite high.

As is customary for European competition, the squad trained in front of the media and this meant that they were able to capture the moment our Egyptian King kicked his vice captain.

READ MORE: (Video) Strange thing in Liverpool training that happened for first time ‘virtually all season’

The lack of a reaction from the Scouser gave the impression of a man who is very used to his teammate playing these type of tricks.

Let’s hope we can see such a relaxed group enter Italy and try to get the unlikeliest of victories over the line.

You can watch the moment between Salah and Alexander-Arnold (from 5:29) via Liverpool FC on YouTube:

EOTK Insider with Jan Age Fjortoft: Why Alonso said no to LFC, who will replace Klopp now? The PL winners will be…

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Mo Salah’s possible departure to Saudi Arabia filled the column inches towards the end of the summer and now there’s another update on his future.

Speaking on beIN Sports, Richard Keys said: “The feeling is that Mo Salah might not, after all, be on his way to Saudi Arabia – that’s all we can tell you.”

READ MORE: (Images) Klopp, Van Dijk and other Liverpool representatives pay respects on Hillsborough anniversary

It seems then that we can be confident our Egyptian King will remain at Anfield for another year past this summer, which will be great news for many.

It’s a shame that the same can’t be said for Jurgen Klopp but we have many of his key players who will remain after he leaves Merseyside.

You can watch Keys’ comments on Salah via @beINSPORTS_EN on X:

@richardajkeys has an interesting update on the future of the Egyptian King Mo Salah! #beINPL #LFC #CRYLIV pic.twitter.com/HSS4vuCjxM

— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) April 14, 2024

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The post (Video) Transfer update; Richard Keys provides Mo Salah to Saudi Arabia update appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

The 2-2 draw at Old Trafford was beyond frustrating. The 3-0 loss to Atalanta was numbing. The 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace felt final.

Thankfully, Arsenal went and lost to Aston Villa, which is good news, even though it almost adds to the exasperation of our missed opportunity.

Liverpool are still in the title race, although Manchester City are heavy, heavy favourites. They’ll probably win their remaining six, the bastards.

But what’s happened to Liverpool?

Against United and Palace, the Reds racked up over 6xG, but only scored two goals, both of which were from set-pieces last weekend. They haven’t scored a single goal from open play despite a plethora of chances and a handful of sitters.

Liverpool’s 2.87xG was the most xG without scoring by any side in the competition since Brighton v Norwich in April 2022. 

Obviously, the finishing recently has been a massive issue. We’ve lacked a little luck, but a lot of composure. There has been no clinical element to it. Nobody has stepped up when it really mattered in front of goal.

Dom Szoboszlai missed two at Old Trafford. Darwin Nunez, Mo Salah and Luis Diaz were also guilty of missing the target when they should have at the very least tested Andre Onana.

Against Palace though, it was farcical. Luis Diaz, Wataru Endo, Nunez, Diogo Jota and Salah all missed from inside eight yards. Curtis Jones also missed a sitter of a one-on-one when the keeper had already sat down and simply presented him a free net.

If we’d have taken our chances, or even half of them, in both matches, we’d be top of the Premier League by three points with six to play. That hurts.

But it’s not just the finishing that’s been off.

It’s the intensity, especially at Anfield against Atalanta in the midweek horror-show and Palace on Sunday.  Why do we let our opponents take the lead so easily? We do it again and again and again.

The best iteration of Klopp’s Liverpool teams used to make the first 20 minutes for opponents complete hell. They outfought them everywhere – to a man. Now, the lackadaisical start to matches allows our opponents chances, often goals and leaves Liverpool chasing the game. You can’t get away with that for an entire season. The most insane stat that proves as much is that Liverpool have conceded the first goal in 21 of our 32 Premier League matches so far. Yes, we’ve done well to win most of these, but it’s not sustainable. And the past week has proven as much.

Alexis Mac Allister was absolutely flying, but has had two poor games. Wataru Endo looks like he did away to Newcastle United earlier in the season. Darwin Nunez has been atrocious since his goals dried up. He hasn’t scored in three games and has just one in our past six. Jota, who to be fair hasn’t found the net since his return either, should probably come in for the Uruguayan based on recent form.

Salah is another player who has not been very good. He’s played nine matches since his return from injury. You’d have hoped he back up and running. But he looks tired, slow and like he’s out of ideas. The Egyptian finishes seasons worse than he starts them, usually. But we need our world-class players to step up in big moments. And he couldn’t have complained if he was subbed yesterday.

It’s funny. We’ve finally got an almost full squad with an elite bench, but the players look more tired than ever. Perhaps the effort of carrying on and winning throughout January and February with a threadbare squad is now taking its toll.

Liverpool are giving up way too many big chances to opponents. You can’t expect the attack to bail out the rest of the side in every match when even very average sides get lots of good sights of our goal.

It feels like it’s done, but football changes quickly. Maybe we’ll pull off a miracle in Bergamo on Thursday and the vibes around the run-in will change.

Let’s hope so. We’re the underdogs now in both competitions. Maybe that’ll help. But quite a lot needs to change, now.

The post Editor’s Column: It’s not just the bad finishing, you know… appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Chris Sutton has claimed that Jurgen Klopp faces an ‘issue’ with one Liverpool player who’s ‘not been at his sharpest’ in recent weeks.

It comes as no surprise that Mo Salah is yet again top of the Reds’ scoring charts this season with 23 goals so far, although that hasn’t prevented him from coming under some scrutiny of late.

In his weekly Premier League predictions column for BBC Sport, the ex-Blackburn striker wrote: “One issue for Jurgen Klopp’s side is that Mohamed Salah has not been at his sharpest since he has come back from injury – he has been missing chances that you expect him to put away.”

READ MORE: Liverpool-linked £34m ace ‘may want to leave’; he’s ‘being courted by English clubs’

READ MORE: German football insider hints at Jurgen Klopp’s potential next role after he leaves Liverpool

Since returning from injury in early March, Salah has netted four goals in eight games – not a drought by any means, but also perhaps not quite the ratio we’ve come to expect from a man who’s netted 209 times in 341 Liverpool appearances (Transfermarkt).

Sutton makes a valid point about the 31-year-old missing chances that he’d usually score – his skied effort on the rebound from an Andre Onana save in the second half at Old Trafford last Sunday springs to mind – and like the team as a whole, he was worryingly ineffective after coming on against Atalanta on Thursday.

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A meagre tally of seven completed passes in 45 minutes on the pitch summed up the Egyptian’s tepid outing (Sofascore), as well as LFC’s overall ineptitude on a horrible night at Anfield.

Salah hasn’t been at his best in recent weeks admittedly, but he’s one player who carries a sense of being able to score at any time, even if his general performance is subdued.

It must also be taken into account that he’s barely had any let-up until he got injured at the Africa Cup of Nations in January, and at least he’ll have this summer off to recharge the batteries.

In the meantime, he could still have an enormous effect on Liverpool’s season. You simply don’t keep a man of Mo Salah’s talents quiet for long.

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Fabrizio Romano has moved to quell any fears among Liverpool fans that Mo Salah will leave for Saudi Arabia in the summer.

Earlier this week, Graeme Bailey reported for HITC that the 31-year-old was the Pro League’s main target for the upcoming transfer window, and that Michael Edwards is prepared to sanction the Egyptian’s exit.

However, in his latest Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside, Romano insisted that the Reds’ number 11 is quite content on Merseyside, and that nothing is currently brewing in relation to the rumoured interest from the Middle East.

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The Italian stated: “I know there’s talk again about Saudi clubs coming in for the Egypt international, but despite some speculation to the contrary, I’m not aware of imminent proposals and I’m told nothing is happening now/April in general.

“Interest in Salah from Saudi remains strong but it’s not time for proposals, not even for talks from what I’m told. He’s also really happy at Liverpool and being super professional, so there was never any issue, even in the final days of the summer transfer window when they received a big offer from Saudi.”

READ MORE: ‘This is significant…’ – Fabrizio Romano drops morning update on Liverpool’s Amorim pursuit

READ MORE: Liverpool in line for triple injury boost ahead of upcoming fixture as return date mooted

With Salah now into the final 15 months of his current Liverpool contract and Jurgen Klopp departing in a few weeks’ time, it seemed inevitable that speculation over his future would surface once more, especially after Al-Ittihad’s unsuccessful £150m bid for him last year.

Considering that he’ll be 33 by the time his existing deal concludes, and that he’s the Reds’ highest earner on £350,000 per week (Capology), there may be a pragmatic argument that cashing in on him before June 2025 would be the sensible option, particularly if a nine-figure offer comes our way.

However, we’re not talking about any ordinary player here. This is a man whose goalscoring exploits are incredibly consistent and who, even when having a quiet game for the most part, is capable of conjuring up a match-winning moment at any time.

Romano also outlined that Salah and Virgil van Dijk, whose contract is also up next summer, are merely biding their time for clarity on the managerial situation before making a decision on their future. Once Klopp’s successor is named, that could be the prompt for that duo to assess whether they want to be a fixture of the new project at Anfield.

We’ll probably see a few reports over the coming weeks suggesting that the Egyptian is halfway out the door already, but this latest update from the reliable Italian journalist should reassure Liverpool fans over the legendary number 11.

EOTK Insider with Neil Jones: Could a surprise candidate now replace Klopp? The search after Xabi Alonso, and much more!

The post ‘From what I’m told…’ – Fabrizio Romano provides Liverpool fans with reassuring Mo Salah update appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Mo Salah has named two of his Liverpool teammates who he believes are vastly underrated outside of the confines of Anfield.

The Reds have had a number of standout performers throughout the Premier League title charge this season, although the Egyptian wanted to highlight a couple of players who he feels haven’t received due credit for their contributions to the team.

When asked in an interview with Stadium Astro which teammates he believes to be underrated, the 31-year-old replied: “I think Darwin [Nunez] and Cody [Gakpo].

“Cody doesn’t get credit from the fans, because I don’t know if they really understand his game or not, but he’s a very, very clever player. I admire the way he thinks; it’s very, very good. He’s young and he wants to learn. He asks a lot of questions, which is really good.

“Darwin is key for us as well. The way he plays, the way he opens space for us is very good, but he doesn’t get a lot of credit because once he misses a chance, others fans jump (on him) and Liverpool fans start defending him and he’s inside that mess. For me, [he’s] one of the best players on the team.”

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Although Gakpo and Nunez have both endured some frustrating performances of late, especially during Liverpool’s two visits to Old Trafford in the past month, both have still made significant contributions to our pursuit of multiple trophies this season.

The Dutchman has 14 goals in total this term, including four on the journey to Carabao Cup glory, while the Uruguay marksman has netted 18 times in 45 appearances across all competitions, including two stoppage time winners in the Premier League (Transfermarkt).

We firmly agree with Salah’s belief that his two fellow Reds attackers haven’t been given the credit that their overall performances have merited and can be easy target for fans’ and pundits’ opprobrium when chances go begging in the final third.

You can view Salah’s response in full below (from 3:50), via Stadium Astro on YouTube:

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As the summer transfer window gradually draws closer, Mo Salah’s future is set to be a topic for plenty of discussion once again. Indeed, it already is.

According to Graeme Bailey for HITC, Liverpool’s CEO of Football Michael Edwards would be willing to sanction the 31-year-old’s exit if the latter wishes to depart Anfield this year, with the Saudi Pro League preparing another transfer offensive after a failed attempt to sign him in 2023.

Speaking about the Egyptian on ESPN FC, Craig Burley said that ‘there’s only a few games before he goes to Saudi Arabia’, with fellow pundit Steve Nicol then chiming to say that ‘£150m in the bank’ would be an ‘acceptable’ scenario for the Reds if it’s offered to them.

When host Dan Thomas asked if Liverpool could afford to lose both Salah and Jurgen Klopp in the same summer, the ex-LFC defender replied: “The club will always survive. They’re not turning the lights out when they leave.”

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Every player in world football ultimately has their price, but it’d surely take an eye-watering transfer offer for the Anfield hierarchy to part ways with the club’s fifth-highest goalscorer of all time.

He may be 32 in June and approaching the final year of his £350,000-per-week contract, but you just don’t cash in on someone of Salah’s game-changing quality and reliability.

If Liverpool are ready to accept another £150m offer for him this year, they better have some darn good replacements virtually guaranteed to come straight in.

You can view the pundits’ views on Salah below (from 2:26), via ESPN FC on YouTube:

The post (Video) ‘The club will always survive’ – ESPN pundit names ‘acceptable’ price for Mo Salah appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Liverpool will have quite a few regrets over their failure to defeat Manchester United on Sunday, and a prominent journalist has named one member of Jurgen Klopp’s side who’ll have been ‘kicking himself’ over his performance.

Mo Salah rescued a point for the visitors after converting a late penalty, in the process becoming the player to have scored more Premier League goals against the Red Devils than anyone else. However, his overall display still came in for critiquing from James Pearce on the Walk On podcast after the match.

The Athletic journalist said of the Egyptian King: “I think, deep down, Salah will know he was a million miles off his best, especially with the amount of space and how vulnerable United are. He’ll be kicking himself that he didn’t do more damage to them.”

READ MORE: (Image) Rumoured Liverpool 3rd kit for next season emerges online; contains one peculiar feature

READ MORE: ‘I find it baffling’ – Sky pundit can’t believe what’s been said about key moment in Liverpool draw

It may seem harsh to criticise the man who ultimately spared us from defeat at Old Trafford, and has once again been our most reliable goalscorer this season, but Salah was indeed well below his stratospheric best on Sunday.

As per Sofascore, he took six shots yesterday but only scored with one, while he lost four of his five duels, posted the second-lowest pass success rate of any Liverpool player (76%) and gave away possession 15 times, the joint-second most among Klopp’s side.

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He was culpable of missing one particularly inviting opportunity that he’d usually gobble up in his sleep, missing the target from close range after he followed up on a rebound from an initial Andre Onana save in the second half.

Salah may have a happy track record of scoring against United, and he came up clutch on Sunday when we really needed him, but his overall performance wasn’t anywhere close to what’d be considered his best.

That said, his incredible consistency in front of goal means that you’d fancy him to find the net in every single match that he plays, even if he’s having what some might label a quiet day.

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Liverpool fans have now been told that Crysencio Summerville agreeing a summer switch to Anfield will be ‘slightly contingent’ on a couple of factors.

Naturally, the next manager at the club will have some role to play in this, as will the potential futures of Mo Salah and Luis Diaz, according to Jacque Talbot of Football Transfers.

The former is a heavily appreciated quantity in Saudi Arabian football, whilst the latter continues to earn links to Spanish football amidst his father’s very public commentary of his personal wishes.

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READ MORE: Next Liverpool manager: Fabrizio Romano drops huge afternoon update on Ruben Amorim

READ MORE: ‘Deal agreed’: Fabrizio Romano confirms ‘documents being signed’ ahead of wonderkid transfer – Rival watch

Will Liverpool sell Salah this summer?

There have been murmurs around the possibility of an exit this summer ahead of the Egyptian’s contract expiry next year.

Any such suggestion, of course, must be taken with a pinch of salt given the importance our No.11 places on playing competitive football.

A tally of 36 goal contributions in 35 games (across all competitions) certainly indicates that the forward is still well-suited to the calibre of English top-flight football.

We’d be mightily surprised if he was prepared to take a massive step down, in terms of the comparative quality of the Saudi Pro League, for a larger wage packet.

That’s our opinion on the matter from us here at Empire of the Kop, of course. We could yet be proven wrong on the matter.

Could Summerville replace Salah or Diaz?

That’s a tall order for any footballer in world football, let alone the 22-year-old Leeds footballer!

Summerville has, admittedly, enjoyed a prolific campaign in the Championship this year, amassing 27 goal contributions in 41 games. On a per-minute basis, the Dutchman’s averaging a goal or assist every 119.33 minutes.

He’s featured more heavily on the left flank (17 appearances) than the right (four). His right-footedness would also surely stand in the way of him being a direct Salah replacement.

Statistically, otherwise, the Leeds United star is posting some truly remarkable numbers. Some of the standout figures, as shared on FBref, include ranking in the 97th percentile for shot-creating actions and touches in the opposing penalty box.

EOTK Insider with Neil Jones: Could a surprise candidate now replace Klopp? The search after Xabi Alonso, and much more!

The post Salah and Diaz could now have big say on Liverpool signing Crysencio Summerville appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Liverpool have set themselves up for a potentially grand finale after Mo Salah capitalised from the spot.

Harvey Elliott made an impact from the bench after being brought down inside the box by Aaron Wan-Bissaka with a careless challenge.

The Egyptian’s latest effort is his 11th against the Red Devils in the Premier League – meaning he has now surpassed Alan Sheare’s record for league goals against the Old Trafford-dwelling outfit.

You can catch the clip below, courtesy of Sky Sports:

Mo Salah equalises from the spot pic.twitter.com/2rgQc3EFSh

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 7, 2024

The post (Video) Mo Salah brings Liverpool level and surpasses Alan Shearer’s record vs Man Utd appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Richard Keys appeared to voice disapproval over Mo Salah’s reaction to being substituted in Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Sheffield United on Thursday night.

The Reds’ number 11 was withdrawn in the 60th minute of the match with the teams level at 1-1, a bold call by Jurgen Klopp given the need for a victory to keep the Premier League title race in our hands, but one which was vindicated by the final score.

As the Egyptian made his way off the pitch, he was seen shaking his head in bewilderment before the briefest acknowledgement of his manager’s extended arm, with the 31-year-old’s disappointment clear for all to see.

Reviewing the exchange during beIN SPORTS‘ match coverage, Keys said: “Watch this…shake of the head. No, no, no. Wasn’t friendly, was it?”

While it can be a bad look for players to react petulantly to being substituted, Salah’s response last night didn’t really fall into that category.

We’d be more worried if his face upon being taken off was one of relief rather than annoyance, as he must’ve felt that he could’ve plundered a match-winning moment had he remained on the pitch.

His joyous reaction to Alexis Mac Allister’s wonder goal made it clear that his personal disappointment was swiftly eclipsed by delight for his teammates.

You can view Key’s reaction to Salah being substituted below, via @beINSPORTS_EN on X:

What do you think of the reaction of Mo Salah to being substituted? #beINPL #LIVSHU #LFC pic.twitter.com/ybh424kD81

— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) April 4, 2024

The post (Video) Richard Keys stunned by what he saw Liverpool player doing to Klopp on 60 minutes last night appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Alexis Mac Allister stole the show with a thunderous strike from outside the box’s perimeter in Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Sheffield United yesterday.

The Argentine’s sixth strike of the season (across all competitions) pulled the hosts back into the lead following Conor Bradley’s own goal and inspired pandemonium in the stands amongst the home support.

Such scenes were mirrored on the Reds’ bench, with substituted star Mo Salah quickly forgetting the disappointment of his withdrawal at the hour mark to partake in the raucous celebrations.

You can catch the clip below (at 1:03 in), courtesy of TNT Sports:

TAKE A BOW, ALEXIS MAC ALLISTER!

@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/pPoFkYm47u

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 4, 2024

The post (Video) Watch what Mo Salah did on Liverpool bench after Mac Allister screamer goal appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.