It wasn’t just Tottenham’s defense that outplayed Mohamed Salah on Wednesday night. A late goal from Lukas Bergvall gave Tottenham a 1-0 win in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, with the Egyptian being unusually subpar as the visitors toiled in front of goal.
Salah entered the match looking to score for the fifth match in a row, after scoring a penalty kick in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United on Sunday.
But he appears to have been in trouble before and during the match as well, after being brutally attacked moments before kick-off.
In the footage posted by @borshanazam on Instagram, Salah was standing within the Liverpool squad and shaking hands with the players and mascots, as is the custom before professional matches. But he was not expecting the response he received when he extended his hand to a young woman in the Tottenham squad.
Instead of responding in kind, the mascot pulled her hand away and poked her nose with her thumb. To his credit, Salah looked at his tormentor and laughed before continuing with the pre-match formalities.
This wasn’t the only fun interaction between the Spurs mascot and Liverpool players. In the tunnel, Sky Sports cameras captured the mascot shouting, “Come on, Van Dijk, to Tottenham, we don’t have any good defenders at the moment!”, while the Dutch defender walked by, laughing.
But the away players were not smiling by the end of the evening, with Bergvall’s controversial late goal meaning the Reds have a deficit at Anfield next month. Salah was injured when his team beat Chelsea in the final match last year, and he spoke of his desire to win trophies in what could be his final season in English football.
The 32-year-old did not agree to extend his contract with Anfield, despite fans asking him to sign a new contract. He has constantly hinted that no deal is imminent, leading to an online row with Jamie Carragher this week.
On Monday Night Football, the Sky Sports pundit argued that both Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold could learn from club captain Virgil van Dijk how to handle themselves better as their contract situations continue. This came after the striker posted a cryptic photo of the three players together during the United match on social media.
The criticism prompted Salah to take to X and respond to the Liverpool legend. “I’m starting to think you’re obsessed with me,” he wrote over a clip of Carragher making his argument.
Carragher responded intelligently, asking Salah to sign a new contract, saying: “I have always been obsessed with you, Mo Salah. I hope this obsession continues next season.”