Liverpool’s star forward, Mo Salah, revealed the strategic reasoning behind his halftime boot change during Liverpool’s 4-2 victory over Newcastle United on New Year’s Day.
The Egyptian international, who initially missed a penalty in the 22nd minute, played a pivotal role in securing the win for the Reds with a stellar second-half performance.
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Salah opened the scoring in the 49th minute, capitalizing on Darwin Nunez‘s pass to tap the ball into an unguarded net.
Despite an equalizer from Newcastle’s Alexander Isak, Liverpool asserted dominance with two quick goals from Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo, securing the three points at Anfield.
Sven Botman narrowed the gap for Newcastle in the 81st minute, but Salah’s penalty sealed Liverpool’s victory.
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Mo Salah responds to Jamie Carragher post Newcastle win
The keen-eyed fans noted Salah’s halftime boot change, a decision he explained during an interview with former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports’s Monday Night Football.
Carragher pointed out the switch, to which Salah responded,
“Yes, I did. The other ones [boots] I missed the pen with, I just trained with yesterday.”
While dismissing superstition, Salah clarified,
“It’s not superstitious because I play with many boots. But when I feel it’s going to play with my head – okay, out, change the boots!”
Carragher playfully remarked, “
So, he never missed a penalty; it was the boots’ fault!” Salah added,
“No, not really, but I don’t like to go in the second half of this game thinking, ‘I didn’t score with this.’ So I just changed, made my mind calm and focused on the game.”
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Salah’s brace in the match brought his Premier League goal tally to 14 for the season, putting him on par with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.
The 31-year-old now sits as the 10th-highest scorer in Premier League history with 153 goals to his name. The strategic boot change adds a unique twist to Salah’s remarkable performance and the overall narrative of Liverpool’s victory at Anfield.
Liverpool is my Religion and Anfield is my Church. 17th May 1996 the date I had my blood coloured red. The one you love the most you can not live without it and that is football to me.
