Jamie Carragher has leapt to the defence of Mohamed Salah following Liverpool's Carabao Cup final defeat to Newcastle - going as far as insisting that his former side must splash the cash over the summer to help the winger. The Magpies secured a 2-1 victory at Wembley on Sunday, courtesy of Dan Burn's header and Alexander Isak's half-volley, with Federico Chiesa's goal in added time proving too little, too late for Arne Slot's side.
Salah had very little impact on the clash, with Newcastle's tactics and intensity paying off as they claimed their first domestic trophy in 70 years. However, former Reds defender Carragher pointed to the ineffectiveness of Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota, as well as substitutes Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo, as key issues in the defeat rather than Salah's uncharacteristically quiet afternoon.
"It was probably one of the worst performances I've seen from Liverpool in a cup final," Carragher said on Sky Sports. "But they've given so much this season and they've lost one league game. It's hard to be too critical but it has shone a light on areas where Liverpool still need to improve.
"I think the lack of pace in attack is glaring. And I almost feel a little bit sorry for Mohamed Salah. He took a bit of criticism after the two Paris Saint-Germain games, against possibly the best left-back in the world Mendes, who was fantastic, he didn't do too much and he wasn't great today. The other attackers at Liverpool are decent, but they're far from the calibre of greats."
Unlike in Jurgen Klopp's tenure at Anfield when Salah led the line alongside Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, the winger now seems to be lacking support. Carargher continued: "He doesn't get help from the other attackers. This isn't like under Jurgen Klopp where [Sadio] Mane or [Roberto] Firmino could bail them out of trouble. The other attackers Liverpool have got are good players but they're not great players."
There's a growing consensus that too much of the load has been shouldered by Salah, prompting Carragher to call for Liverpool to bring in some new signings to inject some further quality into Slot's frontline.
He concluded: "They've relied on him too much, so I don't want to see too much criticism of Mo Salah over this last week. What it's shone a light on is that Liverpool need to go out and buy two attackers – not as squad players, but possibly to play alongside Mo Salah, hopefully, next season.
"I've been excited thinking it looks like Liverpool are going to win the league and there is still lots to improve – and I think they will in the summer."
Despite Federico Chiesa being Liverpool's sole recruit in the summer, joining from Juventus with a £10million fee upfront and another £2.5million pending in bonuses, his contribution has been moderate, adding only two goals and two assists in 11 outings.
Salah's contract dilemma, much like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk with end-of-season expiries, also remains unresolved. With the winger enjoying a sensational season, bagging 32 goals and registering 22 assists in all competitions, Liverpool will have an enormous hole to fill if their No. 11 departs.
This article originally appeared on Mirror