David Moyes and West Ham fuming at Mohamed Salah decision as Liverpool gets ‘strange’ advantage
West Ham manager David Moyes was left furious after his side was unable to call on two players against Brighton, while Liverpool was able to play Mohamed Salah.
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West Ham boss David Moyes has been left upset over a decision that he believes gave Liverpool an unfair advantage this week. He was unable to play Mohammed Kudus and Nayef Aguerd in the goalless draw with Brighton due to FIFA rules, as they are both heading to the Africa Cup of Nations.
On the other hand, Liverpool was able to use Mohamed Salah in the win over Newcastle the day before, with Salah scoring twice before leaving for the tournament. This has left Moyes frustrated, as he feels it’s unfair that he couldn’t use Kudus or Aguerd.
Moyes said: “For some reason we weren’t allowed to play our players when Salah played for Liverpool last night. It feels a bit strange that we’re playing on January 2. Could we not have played on the first so our African players would be allowed to play as well?”
He added: “I feel that’s something which isn’t correct. I just think why couldn’t we have our African players the same as everybody else? I don’t see at this point why you would play a game and be disadvantaged by some of your players not being able to play.
“Overall we’ve had a brilliant Christmas period on the points front, I’m thrilled to win three, including Arsenal and Manchester United, and draw one. It’s the first time this season we’ve looked really jaded and tired tonight.
“We acted as if we didn’t want the ball and Brighton put unbelievable pressure on us. So there’s a lot of praise for the players for sticking at it but I want it to be better and I know it has to get better.”
Salah’s two goals were key in Liverpool’s move to the top of the Premier League. The forward was pleased to end the first half of his season on a high as he turned his attention to Egypt.
“I want to win this competition, I would love to win it. But without me, I’m sure the [Liverpool] players will manage to win games. We have fantastic players, really good quality, they just need to keep the pressure away and just play their football,” he told Sky Sports.
“We have players who can play in my position, they can do what I am doing. It means a lot to play for the national team, it’s a great feeling. Every time I step on the field with the national team jersey, it’s something I cannot take for granted.
“I’m just happy to play in the tournament and I would love to win it. I missed the pen. At half-time I was like, ‘Do you want to leave for the national team with that performance?’ Not really! So I had to really focus, step up and make the difference and I managed to do so.”
Liverpool.com says: To be fair to Moyes, it does seem very strange that his side would be put at a major disadvantage compared to other sides. His gripe though should lie with the broadcasters for moving West Ham’s game, which was an odd decision in itself.
It may be for very different reasons, but Moyes just felt some of the pain Jürgen Klopp feels whenever his side is moved to an early kick-off on a Saturday. The Liverpool boss may well have some sympathy for his Hammers counterpart.
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Anthony Gordon suffers embarrassing moment on Liverpool return as Newcastle brushed aside
Former Everton man Anthony Gordon was back in Liverpool on New Year’s Day, and suffered an embarrassing moment in Newcastle’s 4-2 defeat to Jürgen Klopp’s men.
Anthony Gordon registered a nice assist against Liverpool but also endured an embarrassing moment.
(Image: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon had a moment he’d rather forget during the match against Liverpool. Having spent almost half of his life on the books at Everton, this was a particularly important fixture for him, but his return to the city ended in defeat.
He was seen telling his teammate Martin Dúbravka to dive to his right as Mohamed Salah prepared to take his second penalty of the game. Contradicting Gordon’s advice, Salah scored emphatically to the keeper’s left, securing Liverpool’s win.
With only four minutes left in the game and Newcastle trailing 3-2, Diogo Jota won the ‘controversial’ penalty for Liverpool. As Salah started his run-up, Gordon pointed to his right, suggesting Dúbravka should dive that way. However, Salah shot to the opposite corner, sealing the victory for Liverpool.
It looked for a while as though Gordon would enjoy his time back in Liverpool, having produced a nice assist to secure an unlikely equalizer for Newcastle. But his embarrassing moment at the Salah spot kick capped off an evening where the visitors were lucky the deficit was only two goals.
This was Salah’s second penalty attempt of the match, with Dúbravka having saved an earlier one (seemingly without the help of Gordon). The decision to award the second penalty didn’t sit well with Newcastle manager Eddie Howe.
“We’re disappointed with the way we defended. I didn’t think the second one was a penalty. And I did think Sean Longstaff’s one before that was,” Howe told Sky Sports.
“It shouldn’t be given. Martin has pulled his hand away. He’s had two steps before going down. For me it’s not a penalty. Even the first one the contact was so minimal. We feel hard done by.
“You have to have the mindset that you create your luck. Feeling sorry for yourself never has any positive outcome. The players gave everything. I back the quality of the group. In time we’ll get the results we need.”
Howe’s thoughts were echoed by Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer, who suggested Jota was acting. He posted on Twitter: “What a great dive that is”, with two laughing emojis.
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Arsenal’s famous former player Ian Wright also expressed his surprise at Jota’s choice to fall in the box instead of scoring. Wright commented: “Would rather go down for a penalty than put the ball in an empty net! Seen it all!”
Shearer didn’t hold back on his opinion of Jota, retweeting Wright and saying: “F****** embarrassing”. Despite the drama, Salah was cool about taking another penalty.
“I’m calm. I always practice. The first one I was confused because the goalkeeper moved. The second one I did like I do in training,” Salah explained to Sky Sports.
“It’s not superstition, but I wanted to change [my boots at half time]. I just changed them and made my mind calm. It’s a great result for us. The game was very intense and we managed to win three points and now we’re top of the league. We need to keep our heads and win every match.”
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