Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah expressed his “devastation” at the club’s failure to qualify for the Champions League next season, adding that “there’s absolutely no excuse for this.”
Salah commented on social media immediately after Manchester United defeated Chelsea, confirming Liverpool’s inability to place in the top four.
Liverpool will finish fifth and compete in the Europa League the following season.
“We let you [fans] and ourselves down,” said Salah of Egypt.
Liverpool won seven of their last eight games in a late drive for fourth place, but they were unable to make up for their patchy form earlier in the season.
United needed only a point against Chelsea in their final game of the season to secure their position in Europe’s elite league next season, joining champions Manchester City, second-placed Arsenal, and Newcastle United.
“We had everything we needed to make it to next year’s Champions League and we failed,” said Salah, a member of the Liverpool team that won the competition in 2018-19 before losing in the final to Real Madrid last year.
“We are Liverpool, and just qualifying for the competition is enough.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s too early for an upbeat or optimistic post.”
Liverpool began the season with a bang, defeating Manchester City in the Community Shield, but went on to win only two of their first eight Premier League games.
They struggled away from home in the Premier League before their recent improvement, with three of their eight away defeats coming at relegation-battling Nottingham Forest, Wolves, and Bournemouth, while they were only beaten at home by struggling Leeds United.
Liverpool was soundly defeated by Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League this season. At the same time, they were eliminated in the fourth round of both the FA Cup and the League Cup by Brighton and Manchester City, respectively.
Salah, who signed a rich new three-year contract with Liverpool this summer, has scored 19 league goals this season, including six in the 14 games leading up to the 2022 World Cup and 13 in the 23 games following the tournament.
