Klopp also said he knew Salah would have broken another Liverpool record if he scored in the game
Kehinde Okeowo
Liverpool boss, Jurgen Klopp has defended the reaction of Egyptian striker, Mohamed Salah after he was substituted in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Luis Diaz’s opener for the Reds was cancelled out by a debut goal from Chelsea’s Axel Disasi with both sides having to settle for a point each.
Salah, who had a goal ruled out for offside in the first half, was visibly frustrated after his number went up for him to leave the pitch in the second half.
The Egypt international was seeking to score in Liverpool’s first game of the season for the seventh consecutive year.
Speaking after the match, Klopp said he was fine with his action, as he knew Sallah would have broken another record if he scored in the game.
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Klopp said: “I can understand because if Mo scored, it would have been a new record for goals scored in the opening game, but I didn’t think about that. We needed stability, and we needed fresh legs. It was super intense for everybody. That’s all I can say about it; his reaction was absolutely okay.
“When I sub a player and he is jumping into my arms at 1-1 and he is a striker who thinks he will score, I would be really surprised, so that’s absolutely fine,”
Meanwhile, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has claimed his team should have taken all three points against Liverpool on Sunday, after the thrilling draw.
Pochettino talking to Match of the Day after the encounter said: “I don’t believe it is [fair]. I think we deserved a little bit more overall. We feel pleased but at the same time disappointed because we wanted to win and we deserved to win, but it is only the beginning,”.