Jamie Carragher is not sure on the reason why, but he has hit out at Mohamed Salah’s ‘so poor’ performance in Liverpool’s defeat to Manchester United.
It was another bad day out for the Reds on Sunday as they were beaten 2-1 by the Red Devils at Anfield, making it four defeats on the spin in all competitions.
Bryan Mbeumo opened the scoring very early on, before Cody Gakpo equalised on 78 minutes and the home fans hoped for a dramatic winner.
There was one, but it came for the visitors, with Harry Maguire nodding home a brilliant Bruno Fernandes ball into the penalty box.
Salah has been a long way from his best all season and continued to be on Sunday, notably missing a great chance as he fired wide at the back post.
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Liverpool legend Carragher is not sure whether it is down to the Egyptian’s advancing age, it is just poor form or he is not being provided with enough good chances by his teammates, but he does believe Salah has to do more.
‘He’s been so poor with the ball,’ Carragher said on Sky Sports. ‘Is he getting the right service? I know that’s been asked by other Liverpool supporters before today.
‘I’m his biggest fan but he has to do more in the final third. The form Salah is in at the moment: is it to do with the team or the fact he’s getting older? He has to be doing more.’
Another Liverpool legend, John Barnes, spoke before the game and defended Salah, saying it is nothing to do with his age, but that there has been significant change to Arne Slot’s side.
There have been arrivals in the forward line, change to the midfield and the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back, which Barnes reckons is all costing Salah.
Mo Salah in the 2025/26 Premier League season
Apps: 8
Goals: 2
Assists: 2
‘It’s a coincidence that Mo’s now 33 and things have changed and we’re saying, is he slowing down?’ Barnes told Stadium Astro.
‘The team has changed for us to create and play in a different way, for other players to be creative, not just to look for Mo, but it’s a bit of a shame.
‘He’s as valuable as he ever was, not in terms of necessarily being the top scorer and scoring 30-odd goals, but helping us to win matches, he’ll be equally as important.’
On Alexander-Arnold’s move to Real Madrid, the former England winger said: ‘He is a big miss for Mo more than anything else, because he was our creative player.
‘We’re not missing him because we’ve got [Florian] Wirtz, we’ve got [Hugo] Ekitike, we have creative players, but that’s not necessarily helping Mo because everything came down our right hand side in terms of creativity.
‘While we don’t have that anymore we have creativity in other positions, so we’re still playing well, scoring goals. Conceding goals is our problem and giving opportunities to the opposition, so therefore we have to get the balance right.
Metro at the Match: Liverpool 1-2 Manchester United
Metro at the Match returns to bring you all the analysis from the biggest games of the season.
Here are our team’s key takeaways from United’s dramatic win at Anfield:
Panic stations for Liverpool
Four losses on the bounce and a first home defeat to United in almost a decade should have alarm bells ringing on Merseyside. The season is still young, but Arne Slot’s chaotic side currently look a shadow of the well-oiled machine that cantered to the title last season. Ben Fleming – Sports Reporter
A turning point for Amorim’s tenure?
If beating newly-promoted Sunderland felt like a job-saver for Ruben Amorim, the dramatic win at Anfield felt like a defining and potentially transformational moment for the Old Trafford boss. A Liverpool winner felt inevitable once they finally broke United’s resistance but the visitors rallied superbly and snatched the three points themselves. Much of the talk will be about Liverpool’s fourth straight defeat but this was huge for Manchester United and perhaps the turning point in Amorim’s tenure. Louis Sealey, Deputy Sports Editor
Is Van Dijk beginning to slip?
Much has been made of Mohamed Salah’s slow start to the season, but is Virgil van Dijk also starting to show signs of his age? The Dutchman allowed Bryan Mbeumo to ghost in behind with ease after only a minute, in what is his second costly mistake in as many club games. Ben Fleming – Sports Reporter
Lammens takes to Anfield like a duck to water
Senne Lammens’ selection effectively confirmed his status as Ruben Amorim’s No. 1 after his solid debut against Sunderland. Wayne Rooney was among those questioning the £18m deal – especially as Gianluigi Donnarumma and Emiliano Martinez were available – but it’s looking like money well spent. Lammens denied £125m striker Alexander Isak in the first half and generally provides a more assuring presence in the United goal than either of Andre Onana or Altay Bayindir. Louis Sealey, Deputy Sports Editor
‘When we lose the ball, remember [Jordan] Henderson, [James] Milner, Fabinho kind of defensive midfield players. Now we have so many attacking players that when we lose the ball we’re giving opportunities away. That’s the balance we have to get right.’
Liverpool now end the weekend fourth in the table, four points behind Arsenal at the top of the Premier League.
Manchester United have won back-to-back games in the Premier League for the first time under Ruben Amorim and climb to ninth.