During a 2-2 draw at West Ham, Jurgen Klopp and Mohamed Salah engaged in an intense altercation on the touchline, significantly hampering Liverpool's already constrained prospects of clinching the Premier League title.
Following Michail Antonio's goal to equalize the score at 2-2 in the 79th minute, Jurgen Klopp made the decision to bring Mohamed Salah onto the field from the substitute bench for the highly significant match scheduled for Saturday.
The manager and the Egyptian forward were involved in a vehement disagreement, which thus required the intervention of Darwin Nunez, an additional substitute player, to alleviate the situation.
It was a terrible afterthought to yet another lackluster performance by Liverpool, who are getting closer to selecting Arne Slot to replace Klopp in the upcoming season.
The home team managed to gain an advantage as Jarrod Bowen skillfully scored a header. However, the precise strike from Andy Robertson and a lack of coordination leading to an own goal by West Ham enabled Klopp's team to equalize the score.
However, more points were lost as the culmination of Klopp's final season as manager appeared to be coming to an end thanks to Antonio's thunderous late header.
In an uneventful first half that had a decidedly end-of-season vibe, Liverpool did not seem like championship contenders. Harvey Elliott's initial attempt was thwarted by the sidenetting, despite the visitors having enough possession.
Subsequently, Luis Diaz was ruled offside by VAR, which confirmed the assistant's ruling. Angelo Ogbonna had clipped Cody Gakpo, and Liverpool were given a penalty.
Despite being set up by Diaz, Gakpo may have exhibited a superior performance by surpassing the bar, whereas Diaz's subsequent shot made contact with Alphonse Areola's nearby goalpost.
However, a hastily taken corner with two minutes remaining before halftime caught Liverpool off guard. Bowen maneuvered his header just past Alisson after Mohammed Kudus hoisted the ball into the box.
After the break, Diaz squared the ball into Robertson's area for Liverpool to respond. After taking a touch, the Scotland full-back attempted a shot that Areola could have saved at his near post.
After that, there was an odd own goal when Gakpo mishandled a shot, causing three different deflections to eventually put the ball past Areola.
Bowen advanced on the right side of the field and delivered a skilled cross to Antonio, who successfully scored, consequently reinstating Liverpool's lead and ensuring their path to a crucial victory.
Hammers manager David Moyes was happy with his team's performance.