Arne Slot: Ask Mohamed Salah if he feels he made a mistake with his comments

By Carl Markham, Press Association, Milan

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot initially suggested Mohamed Salah should be the first to apologise before later softening his stance over the row, which has dominated the last few days.

Having left the Egypt international at home after his explosive comments following Saturday’s draw at Leeds – when he suggested he has no relationship with his boss after being benched for three games – the Reds beat Inter Milan 1-0 at San Siro in the Champions League.

Afterwards, Slot was asked whether there was a way back for a player who had suggested the weekend’s Premier League game at home to Brighton may be his last.

“First you have to ask if the player feels he made a mistake,” he told Amazon Prime.

“I’m going to talk to him. But then you have to ask should the initiative come from me?”

However, in his press conference Slot rowed back slightly on those comments.

“I didn’t say who should make the first step,” he added.

“Tonight it should be all about the players that are here. In the rich history Liverpool has had, they have had many of these evenings.”

Dominik Szoboszlai’s 88th-minute penalty- which Slot appeared to suggest was soft – settled matters in a game in which Liverpool looked much more solid.

“All I could ask for, I think the fourth game in 10 days, that is not what you see a lot with only 13 outfield players available with Premier League or Champions League experience,” said Slot.

“After the blow we had conceding the 3-3 in Leeds then in this stadium against such a strong Inter team, we hardly gave away a chance.

“Great mentality second half, we got better and better, we were close to scoring with Conor (Bradley) crossing for Hugo (Ekitike) then we get a penalty that if that was a penalty we could have got 10 this season.

“In the Premier League, I don’t think it would have been given.”