Things did not initially go according to plan for Mohamed Salah against Newcastle United. Last night was the Egyptian’s last game for Liverpool for a while.
Salah is set to join Egypt’s squad for the African Cup of Nations taking place from January 13th until February 11th in the Ivory Coast.
However, before the tournament begins, he had one last hurrah at Anfield. With the Reds taking on Newcastle United on the first day of 2024, this was an opportunity for Salah to leave for the tournament on a high.
It was also an opportunity for Liverpool to extend its lead on top of the Premier League table. However, things did not initially go according to plan.
Liverpool put in a dominant display but struggled to find the first goal in the match. When Luis Diaz was awarded a penalty, the Reds thought they may have broken the deadlock.
But Salah’s shot was saved by Martin Dubravka in the Newcastle United goal much to the Egyptian’s dismay.
Salah’s change at half-time
Liverpool came back from the half-time break determined in the second-half, and within just four minutes Salah at last opened the scoring.
The Egyptian went onto provide the assist for Liverpool’s third goal for Cody Gakpo. And in the final few minutes of the game he got himself onto the scoresheet again converting another penalty after Diogo Jota was brought down by Dubravka. He seemed especially delighted to have been able to redeem his error from earlier on in the game beaming and full of smiles after his second goal.
But what went unnoticed was a surprising change Salah made during half-time. Spotted by broadcasters TNT, Salah actually changed boots at half-time after missing his penalty kick.
Salah’s change certainly worked wonders for him in the second-half. It just goes to show how everything might be hidden in the little details. Or perhaps it’s all just superstition?
Either way, the Egyptian will be sorely missed at Anfield, and last night proved that emphatically.
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