Mo Salah’s first-half miss proves crucial in Liverpool’s Europa League defeat by Atalanta as Peter Crouch insists ‘it’s not that difficult’ and proves the Egyptian is out of form

Mo Salah will be turning in his bed tonight replaying his pivotal miss against Atalanta, Peter Crouch believes. 

Liverpool‘s star man squandered a gilt-edged chance in the first half of Liverpool’s Europa League second leg in Italy. 

Salah found himself one-one-one with Juan Musso, who had come charging off his line, but he dinked the ball wide and the score remained 1-0.

He had already put them 1-0 up with a penalty, but if Liverpool had entered the break with a 2-0 lead, it would have set up a much nervier second half. However, the Reds couldn’t score again and lost 3-1 on aggregate, having losing 3-0 in the first leg last week. 

‘The big one was Salah. For Salah on his left foot, bouncing like that, the ‘keeper has come out in no man’s land. It’s an easy finish,’ Crouch told TNT Sports. 

Peter Crouch thinks Salah would have converted the chance if he had been in better form 

Crouch, who used to play for Liverpool, thinks Salah’s wastefulness in front of goal affected his confidence to take the chance. 

‘If he’s scoring goals for fun like he usually is, I think that goes in. It’s not that difficult. It’s just come off his shin. He’s got it completely wrong,’ he said. 

‘That’s the one that will be going through his mind tonight because that was in the first half, could have been so different.’

Gary McAllister concurred, saying: ‘It fell beautifully for him on his left peg. You would’ve put your mortgage on Mo Salah to finish that opportunity. It was a simple chance for somebody of his ability and he will rue that miss.

Even when he’s having a poor game, Salah has always got the ability to push that to the side and when he gets chances like that, you always fancy him to score. It was a bad miss for somebody of his ability.’ 

While Liverpool started promising in Bergamo, going 1-0 up from the penalty spot seven minutes in, they faced a staunch containment from their opposition in the second half.

Atalanta executed their plan perfectly and suffocated Liverpool, depriving them of space and chances. 

Liverpool fans will point to a moment in the first half when Isak Hien handled the ball as Luis Diaz raced through on goal as a harsh decision against them. 

Crouch revealed that he ‘was screaming for a red card’ against Isak Hien in the first half 

The centre-back was penalised for a handball as Salah played the ball through to Luis Diaz

Liverpool players appealed immediately, with the defender shown a yellow card but allowed to stay on the pitch

Hien was given a yellow card but could easily have been given a red, which would have changed the complexion of the game. 

Crouch was aghast at the call not to send Hien off, saying: ‘I was screaming for a red card straightaway. You can see he leans into the ball.

‘It’s a definite move of the arm. I think Diaz is going in here, I think he takes a touch across him. I think that should be a red card. He leans right into it. I don’t think the player on the right is covering him.

‘I can see why he’s not given it because the defender is coming across to cover and I think he thinks he might get there. But he’s so good, Diaz, at taking it across defenders.’