Friday May 26, 2023
After Manchester United booked their place in next year's UEFA Champions League by beating Chelsea 4-1 in the Premier League on Thursday, Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah took to Twitter to apologize to fans, saying he was "devastated" that his team missed the match. the opportunity to play in Europe's highest club competition.
United's win meant Liverpool would finish fifth in the Premier League with a place in the UEFA Europa League.
"I'm totally devastated. There's absolutely no excuse for this. We had everything we needed to get into next year's Champions League and we failed. We're Liverpool and qualifying for the competition is the bare minimum. I'm sorry but it's too soon for an uplifting or optimistic post. We let you down and let us down," Salah tweeted.
I’m totally devastated. There’s absolutely no excuse for this. We had everything we needed to make it to next year’s Champions League and we failed. We are Liverpool and qualifying to the competition is the bare minimum. I am sorry but it’s too soon for an uplifting or optimistic… pic.twitter.com/qZmA9WsueM
— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) May 25, 2023
Some fans protested the pessimistic tone of the report.
However, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp jumped to the defense of the 30-year-old.
Klopp told reporters at a press conference today that Salah's reaction was "completely normal".
"There are so many bad things happening in the world of social media and I don't think this is one of them."
He went on to share, "It's a normal description of the situation and he's right. But I saw him in the canteen an hour ago and he was smiling, he wasn't in a bad mood!"
Next season will be the first since 2016/17 - the campaign before Salah's arrival - that Klopp's side are not in the Champions League.
Manchester made a triumphant return to the Champions League on Thursday after a dominant 4-1 victory over Chelsea.
The emphatic victory secured them a place in Europe's elite competition next season and marked a successful first season for manager Erik ten Hag. Casemiro's arrival from Real Madrid proved to be a vital tool in United's revival as the experienced midfielder showed his class throughout the match.
In contrast, it was another dismal outing for Chelsea, despite a massive transfer spend of over £500 million ($620 million). The defeat was their eighth in the last ten games since Frank Lampard's return as caretaker manager. The club's season was marred by ineffectiveness in both boxes and a lack of results, leaving them with little to play for.
