After claiming a heroic brace in Liverpool's 4-2 win over Newcastle, Mohamed Salah has revealed why he changed his boots at half-time after missing a penalty.
The 31-year-old played his final game for the club on Monday night before joining the Egypt national team ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast.
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In that match against the Magpies, the forward missed a penalty in the 22nd minute, failing to give his side the lead in the process.
However, a change of boots at half-time seemed do the trick for the Pharaoh, who gave his side the lead in the 49th minute and later converted from spot in the 86th minute to make up for his earlier miss and secure victory for the Reds.
By doing so, he became only the fifth player to score more than 150 Premier League goals for one club, joining Harry Kane for Tottenham Hotspur, Wayne Rooney for Manchester United, Sergio Aguero for Manchester City, and Thierry Henry for Arsenal.
Salah explained after the match why he decided to change his boots at half-time.
"The players spoke in the dressing room. We have to stay calm. I missed the pen," he said, according to the Daily Mail.
"At half-time, I was like, 'Do you want to leave for the national team with that performance?' Not really!
"So I had to really focus, step up and make the difference and I managed to do so.
"I changed boots. The other one I missed the pen with, I just trained with yesterday.
"It's not superstitious because I play with many boots. But when I feel it's going to play with my head… OK, out, change the boots!
"But I don't like to go in the second half of this game thinking, 'I didn't score with this'. So I just made my mind calm and focused on the game."
Asked about a potential EPL title challenge for Liverpool, Salah added: "We believe a lot. We have such good talent, they just need to work hard, nothing else.
"They just need to express themselves on the field, play their football.
"If we manage to do that and work hard, that's what makes us a winning (team)."
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Liverpool are now three points clear at top of the Premier League table after 20 games played this season.
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