As things stand Liverpool are level on points with Arsenal but remain second on goal difference. But former Premier League forward Chris Sutton believes one Liverpool player will cost them the title.
The player in question is none other than the Egyptian star Mohamed Salah. Salah recently came back from a hamstring injury and Chris Sutton has claimed the Reds’ forward has not looked the same since his return.
Speaking to BBC Sport ahead of Liverpool’s match with Crystal Palace, the former Norwich City player stated: “One issue for Jurgen Klopp’s side is that Mohamed Salah has not been at his sharpest since he has come back from injury – he has been missing chances that you expect him to put away.
“Crystal Palace have now gone five games without a win since beating Burnley in Oliver Glasner’s first match in charge.”
Despite the pundit claiming Salah has not been at his sharpest, the 31-year-old has still managed to tally three goals and four assists in the last six games.
The main concern shouldn’t be over Salah at all. In fact, it should be over their leaky defence, and we saw that on full display at Anfield against Atalanta.
Liverpool should be concerned over their leaky defence
With a commanding 3-0 lead secured away at Liverpool, Atalanta appears to have all but sealed their fate. Gianluca Scamacca and Mario Pasalic delivered decisive blows, capitalising on the Reds’ defensive lapses.
Atalanta’s dominance was evident, creating seven significant scoring opportunities compared to Liverpool’s three. The Reds, left reeling from their subpar defensive display, now face a daunting task in the reverse leg. They now only cling to the prospect of a miraculous turnaround to salvage their Europa League aspirations.
And Liverpool are going to have to sort their back line out immediately if they want to make sure a performance like this doesn’t repeat itself against Crystal Palace.