Van Nistelrooy: Salah’s Goal Killed Leicester’s Hopes

Leicester City manager Ruud van Nistelrooy believes his team had a chance to secure a positive result against Liverpool until Egyptian star Mohamed Salah scored the Reds’ third goal in their recent encounter.

Liverpool overturned an early goal by Leicester’s veteran Ghanaian forward Andre Ayew, with Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones, and Salah scoring to secure a 3-1 win at Anfield.

Van Nistelrooy felt his team was competitive until Salah’s 82nd-minute goal. He said, “I think we were in the game for a long time. The 3-1 goal was a turning point, as it essentially ended the match for us.”

The Dutch coach explained: “In the 60th minute, we had a clear chance to equalize through Patson Daka. We were in the match and hoping to cause an upset.”

He emphasized: “We worked hard and gave everything. We started well with our opening goal, but the third goal from Salah sealed the game for Liverpool.”

Van Nistelrooy also commented on his decision to drop goalkeeper Danny Ward, who struggled in the 3-0 loss to Wolves last week and faced boos from Leicester fans.

He said: “Changing the goalkeeper was necessary. Ward’s attitude in our discussion was admirable, showing his commitment to the team and the club.”

Leicester City, with 14 points, sits in 18th place (third from bottom) in the Premier League standings after suffering their 10th loss of the season, alongside three wins and five draws.