Mohamed Salah appeared visibly unimpressed, shaking his head in disbelief, after Liverpool manager Arne Slot substituted him in the second half during the match against Nottingham Forest.
The Egyptian forward was replaced by Rio Ngumoha in the 77th minute, with the score still locked at 0-0 at that point.
Footage captured by DAZN and shared on X showed Salah on the bench, laughing and shaking his head alongside Cody Gakpo following their respective substitutions.
While it’s possible the 33-year-old was simply chatting lightheartedly with his teammate, his body language suggested a degree of frustration or surprise at being taken off.
Salah has a track record of reacting emotionally to managerial decisions, including past tensions where he claimed his relationship with Slot had broken down after feeling unsupported.
However, the performance stats don’t back up any argument that he should have stayed on. According to Sofascore, Salah earned a 6.2/10 rating—the second-lowest on the pitch—behind only Curtis Jones (5.9/10).
To be fair, he wasn’t the only one struggling; Liverpool as a team found it tough to dominate at the City Ground and looked off their usual form.
That said, Salah has a well-known history of delivering decisive goals or assists in the closing moments of matches, so his removal carried some risk.
Still, with the team needing fresh energy and a breakthrough, Slot’s decision to make changes was understandable.
In the end, Liverpool secured a fortunate 1-0 victory away from home, proving the manager’s call was ultimately the right one
