Liverpool star Mohamed Salah gave a telling reaction after rival Declan Rice referenced Arsenal’s trio of runner-up finishes while on stage at the PFA Awards ceremony. Salah won the top Players’ Player of the Year award at the event in Manchester – the third time he has claimed the honour.
Rice joined Salah on stage as part of the team of the year as one of three Arsenal representatives, with defenders Gabriel and William Saliba also making the cut. Salah was one of four Liverpool stars included, or five if you count new arrival Milos Kerkez, who was included on the basis of his performances for Bournemouth last season.
“It’s been really tough, coming second three years in a row,” Rice said. “But I’ve said it before, in life you’ve got to go through some small losses in order to win and we’re going to keep going, we’re going to keep pushing, and hopefully something can come for us.”
Upon Rice mentioning the three runner-up finishes, Salah bowed his head and appeared to turn slightly to his left. Some Liverpool fans on social media suggested his instinct was to immediately turn towards Reds captain Virgil van Dijk, though others were less sure.
“Probably because they can relate, doubt it’s malicious,” speculated one fan, referencing the times Liverpool finished a close second behind Manchester City in 2019 and 2022. Another social media user thought Arsenal might be able to use the moment as extra motivation, though, telling manager Mikel Arteta to “Make sure you play this in the dressing room”.
“It’s something that’s never happened in the Premier League, it’s something I will never forget and I will never take it for granted. So, I’m so glad about that,” Salah said after becoming the first player to win the PFA award three times. The accolade came after he finished as top scorer in the league, and he made it clear he doesn’t want to stop there.
“I’m still very hungry – that’s why I signed for Liverpool [for] another two years,” he added. “It’s great to play in the Premier League at that level.
“Also with my age, 33, you feel that you can give more and you can really make the difference always in each game. It’s something [that] makes me proud of myself because I work really hard for that. That’s what I can say about that.”
Liverpool and Arsenal both made winning starts to the new Premier League season, albeit in different circumstances. Arne Slot’s champions fought off a Bournemouth comeback to win 4-2 at home, while Mikel Arteta’s side defended well in a narrow 1-0 win away to Manchester United.
The two sides are due to face off on August 31, when both will have the chance to lay down an early marker in the title race. Before then, though, Liverpool head to Newcastle for a tricky away tie while Arsenal will go out to deny newly promoted Leeds a second straight victory.
