Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp has played down Mohamed Salah's angry reaction to being substituted in Sunday's opening 1-1 Premier League draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
The Egypt international unsurprisingly started on the right-hand side against his old club and made his presence felt after just 18 minutes, threading through a sublime pass for Luis Diaz to break the deadlock.
Salah thought he had doubled the Reds' advantage later on in the first half, but his chip over Robert Sanchez was disallowed for offside, before Axel Disasi drew Chelsea level in the 37th minute.
While Salah largely got the better of Levi Colwill before the break, the 31-year-old failed to impact the game as much in the second half, and he was taken off for Harvey Elliott 13 minutes before the end.
Salah was noticeably miffed that his number was up, as he threw his wrist tape to the turf and snubbed Klopp on his way to the dugout, much to the amusement of the Chelsea fans in the crowd.
The Egypt international had previously scored in five successive opening-day fixtures before Sunday's stalemate and would have set a new record with a goal at Stamford Bridge, but Klopp has affirmed that he cannot factor in personal achievements at such a crucial time in the match.
However, the German also insisted that there was "no problem" between himself and the attacker, telling the press: "No, I didn't have a conversation yet with him. Actually, I don't think you ever saw Mo leaving the pitch happily - I can't remember it [and] that's OK, absolutely OK.
"Today, obviously, I didn't think in that moment about it, I didn't even know about it, that if he scored in the game it would've been an all-time record [on the opening day], so I understand his disappointment. But, I am the manager of the whole team and in that moment we needed fresh legs.
"I think that made real sense for us and it is never anything to do with Mo or whatever or against him, of course not. Ninety-nine per cent of the things we achieved were because of him or with him. That he was not happy was clear, I understand that and there is no problem."
While Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez pulled the strings in the middle for the hosts, both sides were evidently lacking a formidable engine room presence, leading to a high volume of chances throughout the match.
Mauricio Pochettino's side were on top for large periods and restricted Liverpool to just 35% possession, and while the Reds came away from a tough encounter with a point, Klopp accepted that his side could have easily lost on another day.
"I'm OK with a point. I saw the game, so I know who could've won... we could've lost as well, that's how it is," the Reds boss added. "It was an open game then and second half with the crowd and all these things, we had to dig really deep and fight hard.
"In the end we got a point and that's OK. I saw a lot of things I liked and, of course, some things I didn't like particularly, but it's a first game in a tough place. I tend to see it rather positive, to be honest.
"So far in my career the first matchdays were always difficult and an away game at Chelsea as a first matchday is not a top draw. So we have a point and we keep working."
Liverpool - who are also going head-to-head with Chelsea for the signatures of defensive midfield duo Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo - return to Anfield to tackle Bournemouth next Saturday afternoon. body check tags ::
