Last Sunday, all eyes were on the thrilling clash between Chelsea and Liverpool, a match that ended in a 1-1 draw. As the two English football giants battled it out on the pitch, there was one moment that captured the attention of fans and pundits alike: the substitution of Liverpool's star forward, and that was Mohamed Salah.
Salah, who had helped create the first goal with a wonderful pass in the first half, was taken off in the second half, and his reaction was caught on Sky cameras. The Liverpool forward was visibly frustrated, throwing a tantrum as he left the field. This display of disappointment from Salah has sparked a wave of reactions and discussions in the football community.
Roy Keane, who was doing punditry work last weekend, told Liverpool's star man to 'sit down and shut up' at the time.
"I think it’s fine if a player comes off like that but don’t keep doing it on the bench. You see him off the pitch with his arms in the air - just sit down and shut up," said the former United captain.
"You have to take it. You can be upset, fine, but don’t drag it out. I’ve seen a lot more players who are better than Salah get taken off and they’ve been fine."
Former Manchester United forward and teammate of Roy Keane, Dwight Yorke, shared his thoughts on Salah's outburst in an exclusive interview with OLBG. Yorke commented on how natural it is for players, especially star players like Salah, to feel disappointed when being substituted off, particularly in a game like that.
Mo Salah was not happy to be taken off early against Chelsea 😬pic.twitter.com/qNp6E0Sy5Y
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) August 13, 2023
"As players, you'll be disappointed when being subbed off and you want to show your anger, especially when you're a star player like Mo Salah," said Yorke. "The star players usually tend to stay on the whole game."
Yorke also believes that Keane would have reacted the same way if the shoe was on the other foot.
"Keane is in the media now for speaking his mind, but if the shoe was on the other foot, I don't think Keane would have been happy if he was substituted in the same fashion as Salah was," Yorke added. "Showing disappointment from coming off the pitch can come across wrongly, but I'm sure Keane would not have been pleased himself; he probably would have told the manager not to sub him off."
Yorke concluded that Salah should have stayed on the pitch, as the Egyptian's ability would have helped Liverpool win the game.
"Salah and Keane are in that bracket of players who were very consistent and great for their clubs. You always want your consistent players staying on the pitch, even when they're not at their best because they can produce magic in a flash."
Yorke was speaking exclusively to OLBG.
