Mohamed Salah was visibly frustrated after being substituted by Arne Slot during Liverpool’s disappointing outing against Nottingham Forest.
Liverpool delivered one of their poorest performances of the season against a side battling near the foot of the table.
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In the 77th minute, Slot made his first changes of the match, introducing Federico Chiesa and Rio Ngumoha in place of Cody Gakpo and Salah.
The Egyptian forward did not appear pleased with the decision. As he made his way off the pitch, Salah was seen wearing a sarcastic grin and shaking his head. Moments later, cameras caught him on the bench laughing in apparent disbelief at the call to withdraw him while Liverpool were still searching for a winner.
Salah sorri após ser substituído ?#DAZNPremier pic.twitter.com/YFAO1P04s2
— DAZN Portugal (@DAZNPortugal) February 22, 2026
Salah laughing after being subbed off. pic.twitter.com/bmkj2FnvKJ
— – (@AnfieldRd96) February 22, 2026
Mohamed Salah had a poor game against Nottingham Forest
By his usual high standards, Salah struggled to make an impact. His numbers against Forest painted a subdued picture:
- 0 shots
- 0 dribbles
- 0 accurate crosses
- 4 unsuccessful touches
Mo Salah vs Nottingham Forest: ?
? 0 – Shots
? 0 – Dribbles
? 0 – Accurate crosses
? 4 – Unsuccessful touches
? 6.03 – WS rating pic.twitter.com/Na87CFHZz4— WhoScored (@WhoScored) February 22, 2026
Slot’s decision to replace him ultimately proved justified, particularly given the immediate energy provided by Ngumoha. In just 14 minutes on the pitch, the youngster recorded:
- 11 touches
- 2/2 take-ons completed (100%)
- 2 duels won
- 1 chance created
- 1 touch in the opposition box
Rio Ngumoha's game by numbers vs Nottingham Forest:
14 minutes played
11 touches
2/2 take-ons completed
2 duels won
1 chance created
1 touch in opp. box"He did more in 15 minutes than Salah and Gakpo did all game" – Carragher. ? pic.twitter.com/OctiXmxch4
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) February 22, 2026
While it was undeniably an off-day for Salah, his world-class quality remains unquestioned. Even in matches where he struggles to influence proceedings, he possesses the ability to conjure a decisive moment out of nothing.
However, his reaction is likely to fuel further speculation about his future. Having reportedly fallen out with Slot earlier this season, uncertainty continues to surround his long-term prospects at Anfield. The Saudi Pro League are eager to make him the face of the competition, with Al-Ittihad believed to be in discussions with his representatives.
If tensions behind the scenes persist and results fail to improve, this season could yet prove to be Salah’s final chapter at Liverpool.
Feel sorry for Forest, the better team on the day
We were not just atrocious but dreadfully atrocious for 80 minutes. Looked like a bunch of strangers just met for a kick-about. Slot really has no clue when it comes to tactics. Sooner he is gone the better.
I agree, Forest were the better team and deserved at least the draw. But that performance by LFC was an absolute disgrace. We basically know that Salah is going at the end of the season, personally I’d drop him now, so he doesn’t ruin his legacy. You’d think after his outburst, he’d be up for it, in fact he has got worse. Gakpo, yet another poor performance, the only good thing is he signed a new contract so if Bayern want him, they are going to have to pay. Curtis Jones well; he was an absolute joke. He lost the ball in the majority of duels and always wants more time on the ball. The team seem that they do not believe in slot, and who can blame them with the slow, boring possession-based way we play, being wide open and overrun in midfield and a complete lack of pace. If you add all the touches our back 5 have had this season compared to the rest of the league, I bet we are way ahead which proves our negative football. Combine this with the fact that we sell Diaz, no replacement, going 8 years without a ready-made replacement for Salah, spending months trying to get in a defensive midfielder and then spending 400m and no DM. Selling Quansah and keeping injury prone Gomez. Letting Konate contract run down. Everything about the club is poor at the minute. The big spend we as fans wanted from the club has ruined the club, we have turned a title winning squad to a mediocre team with no strength in. Slot need to go and I would get in Poch as opposed to Alonso.