100% duels lost: 13-pass Liverpool ace slammed for ‘anonymous’ Community Shield display | OneFootball

For the second time in 2025, Liverpool leave Wembley disappointed after the bitter taste of defeat.

Their performance in the Community Shield was an improvement on the Carabao Cup final no-show in March, but the Reds twice relinquished their lead (with debut goals for Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong) and lost 3-2 on penalties to Crystal Palace, who’ve now added this trophy to their FA Cup triumph in May.

The result won’t have any lasting consequences for Arne Slot’s side, but the players and coaching staff will nonetheless be frustrated to have spurned the chance to lay down an immediate marker at the start of the new season.

Liverpool star slammed for ‘anonymous’ performance

One Liverpool player in particular will be disappointed with his performance, with Sky Sports News reporter James Savundra describing Mo Salah’s display as ‘anonymous’ and posing the question as to whether it could be a ‘concern’ for the upcoming campaign.

The Egyptian took the first spot kick in the penalty shootout – which occurred at the end where the Reds supporters were seated – but blazed his effort way over the crossbar, aping what happened during the second friendly against Athletic Bilbao at Anfield last Monday.

(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Salah was well below his best at Wembley, unfortunately

The 33-year-old’s performance today will be swiftly forgotten if he repeats his customary trick of scoring on the opening weekend of the Premier League season next Friday and goes on to emulate the heights of his 2024/25 campaign, in which he plundered 34 goals and 23 assists.

However, even aside from his inexplicable penalty miss. Salah was nowhere near his best for Liverpool at Wembley this afternoon.

He was the Reds’ lowest-rated player on Sofascore with a dismal 4.7, having lost all six duels that he contested, completed just 13 of his 20 passes, failed to record a successful dribble or key pass, and lost possession 12 times.

The Egyptian did have one effort on target which was saved by Dean Henderson, and Liverpool Echo‘s Ian Doyle awarded him 6/10 in his post-match player ratings, observing how our number 11 ‘flitted in and out of the game’ as he sought to forge an understanding with Frimpong along the right flank.

All in all, it isn’t a day that Salah will care to remember, but we’ve every confidence that he’ll rediscover his scoring touch in the Premier League, which is when it truly counts for the defending champions of England.