Why was Mohamed Salah’s goal disallowed during Liverpool vs Atalanta in the Europa League?
Liverpool vs Atalanta ended in a 3-0 win for the visitors after a spirited performance, but things could have gone down a different path if not for Mohamed Salah’s disallowed goal.
The Egyptian was played through on goal by Andrew Robertson, who provided an assist for Salah to score but the goal was chalked off. Let’s take a look at why that happened.
Timing of Mohamed Salah’s goal in Liverpool vs Atalanta
Atalanta grabbed the lead via Gianluca Scamacca in the first half after Liverpool custodian Caoimhin Kelleher spilled the shot in the 38th minute. The Italian was on target once again in the 60th minute as he scored off Charles De Ketelaere’s cross with a sublime volley. However, the Reds had a chance to get back into the game at that point.
They were on the counter-attack as Robertson drifted infield and carried the ball forward past multiple defenders. He then spotted Mohamed Salah unmarked and making a run into space on the other side and played a nice pass straight to his teammate. Salah made no mistake and the goal initially stood, but was chalked off for offside after VAR intervened.
The semi-automated technology showed that the Egyptian was marginally offside when the move took place and play was pulled back as the score remained 2-0 to Atalanta.
However, things went from bad to worse for Kelleher and Liverpool late in the game. Dominik Szoboszlai first gave the ball away cheaply, resulting in the visitors breaking forward in numbers. Kelleher then made a tame save which saw the rebound fall straight to Pasalic as he guided the ball into an empty net to make it 3-0 in the 83rd minute.
Implications for the Reds after heavy defeat
Following the 3-0 defeat, Liverpool now have one foot out of the competition as they will have to overturn a massive deficit in the second leg in Bergamo next week. Atalanta last lost at home in the beginning of March and have been a force on their own patch. They will certainly make things even more challenging for the Reds when they visit.
Former Red Jamie Carragher has called upon Jurgen Klopp to ditch the Europa League altogether and go all-out chasing the Premier League. The former defender believes Klopp can field an entirely second-string side in the second leg to make his intentions known as winning the Premier League would be a far better achievement in his final season.
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