Tuesday 8 May 2018 10:26, UK
Jurgen Klopp has rebuked Mohamed Salah for his dive at Stamford Bridge after a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea saw Liverpool fail to secure a Champions League spot next season.
Last year's Premier League champions closed the gap on the top four thanks to Olivier Giroud's first-half header, and Liverpool must now beat Brighton on Sunday's final day to guarantee a place in the Champions League.
A disappointing afternoon for Liverpool saw Salah shown a yellow card after going down on the edge of the penalty area as he attempted to round Gary Cahill.
"It was a dive or he waited for the contact. I'm not sure," Klopp said. "That's not what I want to see, that's not what he wants to do. It happened."
Salah, voted PFA and FWA Player of the Year, has one game remaining to break the Premier League goalscoring record in a 38-game season.
Currently locked on 31, along with Alan Shearer (1995-96), Cristiano Ronaldo (2007-08) and Luis Suarez (2013-14), Salah will turn his attentions to Sunday's match at home to Brighton following a frustrating showing at Stamford Bridge.
However, Klopp remains confident the Egyptian will find the target again before the domestic season comes to a close.
"He can do much better. He will score again no doubt about that," Klopp added.
Though Liverpool remain in the driving seat for a top-four spot, Tottenham could leapfrog them into third with victory over Newcastle on Wednesday night.
Chelsea also play host to Huddersfield on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports Premier League, and a win would see them move level with Liverpool - though its the Reds who currently hold a far superior goal difference (+42 to +27).
