Liverpool were eliminated from the Champions League on Tuesday after losing to PSG on penalties following a 1-0 defeat on the night, and Mohamed Salah appeared to snub Darwin Nunez during the shootout
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Footage showing Darwin Nunez after his missed penalty against PSG
Footage appeared to show Mo Salah snubbing Darwin Nunez after his missed penalty against PSG
Fears of a rift between Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez have been quashed after the Uruguayan's comments about their relationship re-emerged. Liverpool were dumped out of the Champions League on Tuesday night after losing to PSG on penalties, and fan footage taken during the shootout suggested there might have been a little friction between Salah and Nunez.
The Egyptian appeared to snub his team-mate when the striker trudged back to the halfway line after seeing his spot-kick saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma - one of two Liverpool players to miss on the night. Virgil van Dijk was quick to console the former Benfica man, while Cody Gakpo, Ryan Gravenberch, Andy Robertson, Harvey Elliott, Wataru Endo, Jarell Quansah and Curtis Jones - who missed from the spot moments later - followed suit shortly after.
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Salah, however, opted not to comfort Nunez and was the only Liverpool player on the halfway line to do so. But any notion of frostiness between the pair has been overshadowed by comments Nunez made earlier this week.
The £64million man praised Salah's work ethic and revealed that the pair often share jokes around the training ground. "He has an incredible mentality," Nunez said.
"When you arrive at the club, you see him there before everyone else, working hard. He has an incredible mentality and I always try to watch and learn from him. He is an example for many. Sometimes, we joke with him; I tell him he doesn't give me a good pass, and we laugh about it in the dressing room."
Darwin Nunez and Mo Salah watch on during the penalty shootout between Liverpool and PSG
Despite the apparent on-field frostiness, Nunez insists his relationship with Salah is good
After winning the first leg in Paris, Liverpool succumbed to a narrow 1-0 defeat on Tuesday, with Ousmane Dembele grabbing the only goal of the 120-minute encounter for the visitors after just 12 minutes of normal time. Nunez and Jones fluffed their lines from the spot, with Salah the only Liverpool player to score as PSG - who will face Aston Villa in the next round - ran out 4-1 winners in the shootout.
Liverpool's elimination means they'll be fighting on just one front starting next week, having been knocked out of the FA Cup by Plymouth last month. While missing out on European glory will no doubt sting, a lighter schedule should make it easier for Arne Slot's side to focus on and secure the Premier League title.
The Reds are currently 15 points clear at the top of the table, and although second-placed Arsenal have a game in hand, they're winless in their last three league games. With such a mountain to climb, the expectation is that their focus will switch to the Champions League, with a quarter-final clash against Real Madrid to come.
Darwin Nunez sees his penalty saves by Gianluigi Donnarumma
Darwin Nunez fluffed his lines from 12 yards, with Gianluigi Donnarumma parrying his effort in the shootout
Liverpool's next game is the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, where they'll face Newcastle. Both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ibrahima Konate limped off against PSG in midweek, but while the former is expected to miss the Wembley showpiece, Slot thinks Konate could recover in time.
"I have to ask, but for me, [Konate] was more that he was tired than it was an injury. With Trent, he had to come off. That's never a good sign," the Dutchman said during his post-match press conference.
"And from what I heard from people that saw the images or how he got injured, that didn't look very good. So I would be surprised if he is available for Sunday."