Liverpool's Mohamed Salah admitted he was risking a fine as he let rip with his feelings about VAR, claiming technology in football is "killing the game".
The Egyptian was speaking after Liverpool's 3-1 over West Ham with Salah scoring twice (the second a goal of the season contender). It brought to an end a six-game goalless Premier League run for Salah - though he had the ball in the net against Tottenham last week, before VAR ruled his strike out.
After the West Ham victory moved Liverpool up to third in the table, Salah expressed his real feelings about the impact of video technology.
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"I think before, I don't like VAR! From the beginning of the season, in my opinion it's killing the game; the joy of football," the 28-year-old told Sky Sports.
"Here, you have to be in exactly the same line [with offside decisions]. But I think in the Champions League or some other countries, they give the striker more space to... if they score, it's fine for them.
"I don't want to complain about it, because I don't want to get fined. But my opinion about VAR? I don't like it."
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Salah's reaction chimes with that of many football fans who have grown frustrated with extremely marginal offside calls that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
Jurgen Klopp's team were denied a late winner in October's derby against Everton, which ended in a 2-2 draw after VAR ruled out a stoppage-time goal for offside.
The West Ham result contained no VAR controversy but clearly Salah's opinion is clearly based on his long-standing view of video technology.
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There was good news for Salah in that his brace against the Hammers mean he's now scored at least 20 goals in all competitions in all four seasons since he joined the Reds in 2017. He's the first Liverpool player since Ian Rush to achieve this.
Klopp was delighted with his forward's display, saying afterwards (per Eurosport): "The goal itself was brilliant so it was a sign that things were clicking again and today he played a super game.
"His passing and control was brilliant throughout and for the first goal, I don't think [Lukasz] Fabianski could see it. It was super smart.
"He's a world-class player, there's no doubt about that. In the past couple of weeks when we didn't score that many, the only thing you can do when you're not scoring is to keep trying to make better decisions. Tonight, we didn't force it. He scored top-class goals."
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Featured image credit: PA Images/Sky Sports
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Liverpool, Football News, Football, Premier League, Mohamed Salah, Liverpool News, VAR
