Mohamed Salah was deployed against Manchester City in his first match since he announced he was leaving Liverpool, but it was an afternoon to forget for him
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 04: Mohamed Salah of Liverpool misses a chance during the Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final match between Manchester City and Liverpool at Etihad Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Mohamed Salah struggled against Manchester City(Image: Carl Recine, Getty Images)
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Ally McCoist has labelled Mohamed Salah's display against Manchester City as "sad" following Liverpool's 4-1 FA Cup quarter-final defeat. Almost a fortnight after confirming his departure from the Reds, Salah was fielded against the Cityzens on the blue side of Manchester.
With fewer than a dozen games remaining in his Liverpool career, many anticipated a standout performance against Pep Guardiola's side. Yet, when it came to putting the ball in the net, he appeared just as hesitant as he had been prior to his announcement.
He dithered and slashed at a chance under the pressure of City defender Abdukodir Khusanov, before seeing a toe-poke finish be pushed away by James Trafford. With Liverpool four goals down after Erling Haaland bagged a hat-trick and Antoine Semenyo added a superb finish, Salah stepped up to take a penalty.
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The Egyptian's effort from twelve yards lacked both precision and power, with Trafford diving the right way to save comfortably. After the England stopper convincingly denied the former Chelsea forward a consolation goal, McCoist admitted he was left feeling uneasy.
Speaking on TNT Sports, he said: "I didn't fancy him. I didn't fancy him at all. It's a shame because he looks a shadow of the man that has lit up this league and lit up this country.
"It's a shame he's going out this way. He doesn't look like a confident man or a confident player at this moment in time."
Last season, Salah was awarded a fresh Liverpool contract after netting 29 goals and providing 18 assists in 38 Premier League outings. He has not been nearly as prolific in what will prove to be his final campaign at the club.
Salah has registered ten goals and nine assists across all competitions, which falls short of his customary standards. His season was also overshadowed by a bitter public disagreement with Liverpool manager Arne Slot, which occurred just before the Africa Cup of Nations commenced.
Prior to the fixture against City, Slot acknowledged he has no regrets regarding any of his decisions leading up to that confrontation. He said: "Yes. I look back at this season thinking that I made a few decisions that could have been better but I'm not talking about this specific thing with Mo.
Liverpool's Egyptian striker #11 Mohamed Salah leaves the pitch, substituted during the English FA Cup quarter final football match between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on April 4, 2026
Salah was taken off and replaced by Federico Chiesa in the 78th minute(Image: AFP or licensors)
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"I don't regret many things I did during a little longer than one-and-a-half years together. Again, the assumption that if he's not playing that he wants to leave – that's the assumption being made – then he would have left one-and-a-half years ago.
"I can remember West Ham away when he wasn't playing. I wasn't there. He didn't decide to leave (Salah had a fallout with Jurgen Klopp).
"The assumption is if you don't play these games and all of a sudden want to leave, it is an assumption and maybe it is true or maybe it isn't. But history has shown that he did not do that previously and had a great season after that."