The Egyptian star, Mo Salah, couldn’t get off the pitch quick enough after Liverpool’s drab goalless draw with Crystal Palace.
Crystal Palace held Liverpool in a game that never caught ‘fire’ despite both sides hitting the woodwork in the first period. With the return of Diogo Jota, he striked the outside of the post from close range and Jean Philippe Mateta blazed against the bar after a mistake from Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Palace defender Marc Guehi had also gone close with a header in the first period. But it was Salah who produced perhaps the game’s best moment early in the second half.
A quick Liverpool attack broke to the Egyptian, and he struck a curled shot against the crossbar with goalkeeper Vicente Guaita beaten.
It was a moment that summed up Salah’s frustrations and there were even more to come. After Guaita was quick off his line to block Cody Gakpo following Salah’s pass, it was Palace who looked the more likely to socre in the game’s closing moments.
Patrick Vieira’s side pressed for what would have been a late winner. However, Liverpool defended well, with Virgil Van Dijk impressing.
Palace were left incensed at referee
Darren England’s failure to award them a corner in stoppage time, with the official instead blowing for full-time.
And while home players surrounded the referee, and several Liverpool stars made their way over to the travelling fans, Salah quickly turned and headed down the Selhurst Park tunnel in the corner of the stadium.
The Egyptian looked devastated with the dropped points for Liverpool, and although the Reds did move up a place in the table to seventh, they are still some six points behind fourth placed Tottenham.
“On the plus side we got a clean sheet away from home. The desire and fight was there but maybe not the creativity. We have created enough to win the game but it wasn’t as fluid as we’d like.
“We had to move on [from the Real Madrid defeat] as quick as possible. You saw the desire. If the midweek performance had affected us today we’d have conceded a goal. It wasn’t one of our best performances but it’s never easy at a place like this.
“We haven’t been playing our best football this season. Little things that go against us, we’re not shrugging them off as well as we should do.
“Getting a clean sheet is a big thing. If we can be difficult to beat we have players who can score goals.
“We have to keep going. We’re our harshest critics. It’s important we don’t listen to the noise outside. It’s down to us. We’re the only ones who can change it.
“We’ve fallen short this year. We have to dig down.
“The most important thing that matters is what’s said in the dressing room. It was important not to get too high before and not get too down now.”