Gary Neville was left in disbelief after what Mohamed Salah did as the half-time whistle loomed between Liverpool and Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday.
Liverpool made such a lacklustre start to the Merseyside derby with an offside decision saving them from conceding an early penalty, and Everton taking a first-half lead through Jarrad Branthwaite.
The Reds did grow into the game, but whenever they got close to Jordan Pickford’s goal, they would often fluff their lines.
Darwin Nunez missed the best chance of the lot when he seemed to have most of the goal to aim for, but decided to hit his effort straight at Pickford.
Gary Neville stunned by Mohamed Salah as Liverpool toil
But there was also a half-chance for Mohamed Salah just before the board went up to confirm how much stoppage-time there would be before the break.
Trent Alexander-Arnold played a lovely pass into the path of Nunez, but the striker’s first touch was a poor one and he left the ball behind him – forcing the Uruguayan to lay a pass off to Salah.
Salah scuffed his first shot and got another chance straight away. However, he fired the strike high and wide.
And speaking on Sky Sports (broadcast on 24/4; 20:45), Gary Neville suggested that he was stunned to see Salah do so badly with that chance.
“They’re all at it. I was critical of Nunez before. The pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold is wonderful. In fact, he lays it off pretty well this time,” he said.
“As it comes back to Salah, you just don’t expect that. Maybe you do from Diaz, maybe you do from Nunez, but you don’t expect it from Mo Salah. First one was wild and the second one he was leaning back.”
Jurgen Klopp now facing a harsh reality after Merseyside derby
Liverpool would be punished for not taking their chances towards the end of the first-half, with Everton doubling their lead during the early stages of the second.
It does seem that the Reds have gone off the boil at the worst time, with Jurgen Klopp’s men doing so brilliantly to keep pace with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City for so much of the season.
With Arsenal flying and Manchester City able to turn into a machine, you really get the feeling that the Reds’ title hopes have now been dashed.
It is probably no coincidence that Liverpool’s hopes have really faded since Salah – who has also been sidelined with injury recently – started to go off the boil, with his only goals in the last seven games coming from the penalty spot.