Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has called out Mohamed Salah after Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City on the Etihad on Sunday.
Salah struggled on this weekend’s loss with the Egypt international failing to register a goal or an assist against Pep Guardiola’s side.
Rooney, working as a football pundit on Match of the Day, has criticised Salah for his defending and leaving Conor Bradley isolated down the appropriate.
Bradley was tasked with keeping Jeremy Doku quiet and Rooney feels Salah should’ve been helping out his teammate when City got here forward.
Speaking on the BBC, Rooney said: ‘Salah is within the team to attain goals and create goals.
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‘He’s been top-of-the-line players within the Premier League over the past six or seven years. But in big games, you’ve gotten to double up.
‘You’ve got to get back and help your teammate. Conor Bradley was having a very tough game today, to be left on his own…
‘Ryan Gravenberch was trying his best to assist him and recover from there, but then that leaves spaces in other positions.
‘I feel Salah has to come back back and help his teammate.’
Rooney: Van Dijk’s disallowed goal should’ve stood
Virgil van Dijk saw a goal ruled out within the match which might’ve seen Liverpool pull level after they were 1-0 down.
The linesman put his flag up because Andy Robertson was deemed to be in an offside position – with the incident checked by VAR.
‘The referee’s call of offside and no goal to Liverpool was checked and confirmed by VAR – with Robertson in an offside position and deemed to be making an obvious motion directly in front of the goalkeeper,’ @PLMatchCentre posed on X.
Rooney, though, is adamant that the goal should’ve stood and said: ‘Good movement and a very good header [from Van Dijk].
‘Gianluigi Donnarumma can see the ball the entire way. Robertson is to the side of him and Donnarumma is outstretched, he has a full dive as soon as he can.
‘There’s no impact from Robertson on the goal. Donnarumma has all his weight on his right foot, he dives as soon as Van Dijk heads the ball.
‘He’s on his way. It’s a very good header and the goal should’ve stood for me.’
Metro @ The Match: Wirtz ghosts again
Evaluation from Metro‘s Head of Sport James Goldman after Man City’s 3-0 victory over Liverpool…
Be careful Arsenal
Any suggestion that Mikel Arteta’s previously relentless winning machine would sleepwalk their strategy to the title was all the time fanciful prior to this weekend. It’s pure folly now after a few familiar failings reared their head on the Stadium of Light on Sunday, before City laid down an emphatic marker against Liverpool. City have hunted down the Gunners from less promising positions previously and although the personnel could be different, Arsenal’s failure to go course and distance previously is prone to haunt them until they finally recover from the road. Nothing about City’s recent form suggests they’re going to offer them a straightforward ride.
City’s wing wizards
While they’ve still got to go some to emulate a few of their illustrious predecessors, there’s definitely shades of Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling concerning the current City widemen. Jeremy Doku gave Conor Bradley an infinitesimally more testing time than Vinicius Jnr in midweek and his electric dribbling style now, more continuously than not, culminates in end product. On the other flank, Rayan Cherki’s magnetic first touch and inventiveness neatly complimented the qualities of those around him before he was withdrawn early within the second period.
Nico shows why he’s been called up by England
England’s left-back position is definitely up for grabs given the variety of options Thomas Tuchel has experimented with over the course of his tenure. Myles Lewis-Skelly’s relative inactivity for Arsenal has handed a possibility to Nico O’Reilly and it’s one the City teenager looks primed to take. Tasked with taming Mohamed Salah, the 20-year-old hardly gave Liverpool’s talisman an inch and his poise on the ball, a pre-requisite for any City player in Pep Guardiola’s system, helped his side navigate its way out of several tight spots and spring dangerous attacks.
Wirtz ghosts again
Doku’s improvement this season and man of the match display served as a timely remind that it remains to be way too soon to jot down off one in every of Liverpool’s two headline summer signings, but this was one other concerning performance. So infrequent was his involvement in the sport that it was difficult to find out the role he had been assigned. Either way, he looks unwell comfortable with the playmaking responsibilities he has presumably been charged with, regardless of which combination of midfielders and forwards Arne Slot selects. Lightweight, indecisive and short on confidence, Wirtz and his manager have major issues to unravel.
Rooney: Arsenal shall be nervous about Man City
Quizzed concerning the title race, Rooney added: ‘I feel City’s performances over the previous few weeks have been great.
‘I feel Arsenal shall be nervous, because City are coming up behind them.
‘It’s happened the previous few years to Arsenal (being caught) – so with City and Pep Guardiola behind you, Arsenal shall be nervous with City’s form.’
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