Mohamed Salah has found an “added ruthlessness” to his game but has “crossed the line” when it comes to diving, believes Tony Cascarino.
The Liverpool forward made the headlines for a number of reasons during the Reds’ 4-3 victory over Crystal Palace in a game where he scored two goals.
His brace also brought up 50 Premier League goals in 72 appearances – making Salah the joint-fourth quickest player to achieve that feat.
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However, his efforts were somewhat marred by his attempts to win a penalty in the first-half of the game in an incident that saw Salah throw himself to the ground in the box after barely being touched by Eagles defender Mamadou Sakho.
It attracted a great deal of criticism from opposition supporters and Liverpool fan Cascarino was disappointed in Salah’s actions but admitted the Egyptian may have developed a win-at-all-costs attitude as Liverpool are one of the favourites to win the Premier League this season.
Writing in The Times, Cascarino said: “Mohamed Salah is an excellent player whom I love to watch.
“Last season I not only admired his skill and goals but also what a hardworking and honest professional he seemed to be.
“This season he seems to be a different player — the goals and quality are still there but he has crossed the line when it comes to his diving.
“There have been a few contentious incidents with Salah winning penalties this season but on Saturday, in Liverpool’s win against Palace, he blatantly dived in the penalty area.
“It seems as though there is an added ruthlessness in his game, which is why he is crossing into doing whatever it takes to win games.
“Perhaps it stems from the pressure that Liverpool players potentially feel in terms of winning a trophy this season and if so, Salah certainly won’t be the first star name willing to cheat to gain an advantage.
“Cristiano Ronaldo’s willingness to go to ground easily in the area only increased as his career progressed.
“I’m sure Liverpool fans won’t care but it does leave a sour taste.
Salah will not face retrospective action because he failed to convince referee Jonathan Moss into giving him a penalty but Cascarino suggested incidents like these should prompt the powers that be to consider changing the rules with regards to retrospective action.
Cascarino added: “Another thing that the Salah dive highlights is a need for a rethink on retrospective punishment. Just because he didn’t successfully con the referee, that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be punished for trying to.