Mohamed Salah was right to question a Liverpool substitution during their come-from-behind 3-1 win over Southampton on Saturday afternoon, Keith Hackett has said. The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official has hailed the Egyptian international after he noticed his side were preparing to make their sixth substitution of the match as Jarell Quansah was stripped and ready in the final minutes.
In ordinary circumstances, the maximum number of substitute players that can be used is five. This caused concerns among the Reds' supporters - as well as the Premier League top goalscorer - that Liverpool could face a point deduction for not adhering to the rules, with Harvey Elliott, Alexis Mac Allister, Andy Robertson, Diogo Jota and Wataru Endo having all already come off the bench.
However, Arne Slot's side were given an extra substitute thanks to the concussion that Jan Bednarek had suffered in the first half following a collision with Southampton teammate Ryan Manning. Despite not needing to intervene, Salah is now being praised for not just being his side's main source of goals, but also now taking on the role of law enforcer.
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Mohamed Salah Praised For Questioning Liverpool's Sixth Sub
A former PGMOL Chief has explained that the mistake could have easily happened
Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah raises a fist of acknowledgement
Referee Lewis Smith had to calm Salah down by explaining to him why the sixth substitution was allowed (see the post below). Hackett has since praised that initial concern due to the ease with which these mistakes could happen.
After being asked by Football Insider if it is possible an extra substitution could be made by accident, the former referee said: “It could easily happen and that is why the fourth official takes an active role to ensure that it does not.
Hackett continued: “Before kick off, both teams are handed an equal number of substitution cards. When making a substitution, the completed form is handed to the 4th official, who checks the name and number against a team sheet which is handed to the match referee one hour before kick off.
“Concussion subs are also recorded. These completed forms find their way to the Premier League office. It's good that Salah was alert to a possible problem and received the appropriate advice.”
Liverpool are next in action when they host Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash on Tuesday night. Southampton, meanwhile, are still rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table ahead of their clash with Wolves next Saturday.