Liverpool won against Frankfurt on Wednesday night, but Florian Wirths was furious with teammate Mo Salah after he refused to hand the ball over to him despite having a goal at his disposal.
After a goalless start for Liverpool, Mo Salah conceded a goal against Frankfurt after failing to connect with Florian Wirths.
The £116m summer signing returned to his home country as the Reds got back to winning ways with an emphatic win in the Champions League. Arne Slott shuffled his deck, leaving Salah on the bench and bringing him on as a second-half substitute.
Wirtz played from the start and helped Liverpool register a commanding lead. When Salah was introduced into the game, he was clearly keen to make an impact and found himself opening up from the right flank to fire a shot at goal.
He could have easily passed the ball to Wirtz, who was just eight yards away, but the Egyptian opted to take the shot. After Michael Zetterer’s save, Wirtz threw up his arms to show his anger at his teammates, cutting off a frustrated image.
Salah and Wirtz will have their own motivations to score goals under pressure. The German was on a British record deal when he first arrived at Anfield from Bayer Leverkusen, but until Wednesday night he had failed to score or assist since his debut.
read more: Arne Slott’s behavior in the dressing room after Manchester United were acquitted just three days laterread more: Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak demand Arne Slott after Liverpool duo start
On the other hand, Salah is showing signs of being the player who was so prolific last season. Now 33 years old and having just signed a new contract, the forward needs to prove he can continue to play at the top. He has only scored three goals in all competitions, but has not scored since mid-September.
No longer guaranteed to be a starter, the Egyptian was clearly keen to make an impact and end his goal drought, but was unable to do so. There have been doubts about Wirtz following his lack of influence in the final third, but his two assists against Frankfurt should help quiet the buzz.
Asked after the match, he told DAZN: “This is the first time I’ve given an interview so soon after a match. If I remember correctly, we were down 1-0. We recovered and turned the game around. In the first half, I struggled to get myself into good spaces. And I struggled to get myself into good spaces.”
“And it was unfortunate that we lost the ball before we conceded, but overall we were fine. We tried to get into better spaces in the second half. I know I can do a lot more. I thought we did really well in the second half and everyone else said the same. So I’m happy with the win today and finally being able to get involved in the goal.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports Premier League and EFL package discounts
£43
£35
sky
Get the deal here
Sky has reduced the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 on their bill and offering more than 1,400 live matches from the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will broadcast at least 215 live Premier League matches next season, with an increase of up to 100 more.
