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Following his Newcastle penalty error, Mohamed Salah confesses he changed his shoes.
Mohamed Salah has disclosed that he changed his boots at halftime during Liverpool’s 4-2 triumph over Newcastle United after experiencing a penalty miss in the early stages.
Despite Liverpool securing a resounding victory at Anfield on New Year’s Day, they struggled to find clinical efficiency in the first half. In the lead-up to Salah’s penalty attempt, a foul on the Colombian winger in the 18-yard box resulted in a spot kick saved by Martin Dubravka.
Salah, whose penalty miss marked his fourth in the last ten attempts, revealed in a post-match interview with Sky Sports that he opted to switch his boots at halftime.
He clarified that the decision was not due to the penalty incident but rather because he had only trained in the boots once before the game.
“The other ones [boots] I missed the pen with, I just trained with yesterday. It’s not superstitious because I play with many boots. But when I feel it’s going to play with my head, OK, out, change the boots!” Salah said.
“But I don’t like to go in the second half of this game thinking, ‘I didn’t score with this’. So I just made my mind calm and focused on the game.”
“I’m calm. I try to do my job. I always practice. The first one I was confused because the goalkeeper was moving and he was waving and I thought, ‘OK, let’s go in the middle’, but he managed to save it very well.
“The second one I did what I did in training and did my thing.”
Mohamed Salah eventually propelled Liverpool into the lead shortly after halftime. However, the hosts faced an immediate response as Alexander Isak scored a goal against the run of play.
Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo then extended Liverpool’s lead to 3-1. Nevertheless, a header from Sven Botman narrowed the gap for Newcastle once again.
Liverpool sealed the game by being awarded a second penalty when Diogo Jota was brought down by a challenge from Dubravka. Salah stepped up and made no mistake from the penalty spot, securing a decisive 4-2 victory for Liverpool.
“The players spoke in the dressing room [at half-time and said] we have to stay calm,” Salah added.
“It’s a great result for us. The game was very intense and we managed to pick up three points and now we are top of the table. We need to stay calm and win every game.
“We believe a lot. We have such good talent, they just need to work hard, nothing else. They just need to express themselves on the field, just play their football. If we manage to do that and work hard, and I see them work hard after training in the gym, that’s what makes us a winning [team].”
Mohamed Salah is set to join the Egypt squad in preparation for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations this month. The Pharaohs are aiming to seek redemption for their loss in the final of the 2021 edition and will look to Salah’s prowess to bolster their chances in the tournament.