Liverpool manager Arne Slot joked that Mohamed Salah’s suggestion that he could have played his last game against Manchester City at Anfield was because the champions could be relegated this season due to alleged financial rule-breaking.
Salah, who is out of contract next summer, hinted that he could have faced City for the final time at Anfield after scoring in the 2-0 win over Pep Guardiola’s team on Sunday – a result that put Liverpool nine points clear at the top of the Premier League.
It was City’s sixth defeat in seven games, with the champions also facing a hearing into 115 charges of alleged financial irregularities. City deny all wrongdoing but, if found guilty, they could face a severe punishment, including the possibility of relegation.
And Slot, who warned that Liverpool face another difficult week with away trips to Newcastle and Everton, joked that Salah was referencing City’s possible punishment rather than his own contract situation.
When asked about Salah’s latest comments after the 2-0 win over City on Sunday, Slot replied: “Maybe Mo knows more about the 115 [charges] so he doesn’t expect them to be in the Premier League next season.”
The Dutchman laughed, but immediately clarified: “I do expect them to be in the Premier League. That was a joke! I do repeat, that was a joke.”
On Salah, Slot added: “The boring answer is always the same. This is not the place to talk about Mo’s contract and maybe I’ve said too much with the joke I’ve just made.”
Liverpool are now title favourites after opening up a nine-point lead over Arsenal and Chelsea at the top of the table. City, who have won four Premier Leagues in a row under Guardiola, are a further two points behind.
Slot has enjoyed a sensational start at Anfield since replacing Jurgen Klopp, winning 18 of his first 20 games in charge, but maintained that it was still too early in the season to be talking about the title.
His Liverpool team beat Real Madrid and Manchester City in a week at Anfield but now face away trips to St James’ Park and Goodison: possibly the final Merseyside derby to be played at Everton’s ground.
And Slot warned: “I’ve said many times, we don’t look at the [table] like this. We know we have a difficult week coming up again. We thought Madrid and City were very difficult teams to face, and they were.
“I think it’s even harder to go away to Newcastle. We’re not even halfway through the season yet, but we’re in a good position in the league.”
