Liverpool suffered a massive blow to their title chase following a shocking 1-0 defeat against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium last night.
Dreadful in front of the goal, Jurgen Klopp’s men squandered chances after another before a staggering finish from Ademola Lookman eventually saw the visiting side concede the lone decider.
While taking nothing away from Leicester’s performance, who were thoroughly persistent in their defence to keep the opponent at bay, people were quick to point fingers at Liverpool’s lacklustre finishing for the terrible loss.
And though the attacking trio of Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Diogo Jota all missed their fair share of absolute sitters, Mane, in particular, was called out by Liverpool fans online.
The 29-year-old winger’s performances of late have been subpar, and his poor display against Leicester was an instantly forgettable one as well.
Far from being in his element, Mane was outright inconsistent with some questionable passing and movements, before missing a golden opportunity in the 55th minute by shooting the ball over the top with only the goalkeeper to beat.
What a miss from Mane. Had to tuck that away. His drought goes on
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) December 28, 2021
Understandably, the Senegalese international found himself to be at the receiving end of some harsh criticism following the defeat.
I don’t know how anyone can watch Mane and not think he’s declined.
— Laurie (@LFCLaurie) December 28, 2021
Yes, his numbers are still decent, but he doesn’t take a man on, he’s predictable, lost a yard and a heavy touch.
I’m fully blaming Mane. You can’t expect Jota and Salah to score every goal. Salah had scored 15 pens in a row and was bound to miss at some point. What does Mane have to fall back on? He had his chance tonight and showed us he’s done for
— Sean (@SeanDOlfc) December 28, 2021
‘LFC fans told us Mané was washed’ brigade quiet tonight. 0 G/A in his last 9 PL games is it? You’re ironically insulting Mané if you think his current level is anywhere near his prime. He’s still serviceable, but nowhere near that world class, top 5/10 itw explosive winger level
— BPComps (@borgixprxdeli) December 29, 2021
One fan didn’t shy from suggesting, “He needs to be phased out as soon as possible”, while another appeared unmoved by Mane’s imminent unavailability due to AFCON, implying that Liverpool are perhaps better without him at the moment.
Mane’s been well below par all season, but due to results based analysis Liverpool fans have been ignoring this. He needs to be phased out as soon as possible
— S (@9squeeze) December 28, 2021
Can Mane go the AFCON now? Ha. #LFC
— Graeme Kelly (@GraemeKelly1) December 28, 2021
I’m one of Mane’s biggest fans but I’m not even arsed he’s going AFCON atm
— 🥤 (@TheImmortalKop) December 28, 2021
Other fans were less direct in their criticism, but nevertheless made their frustration known in the form of memes and banter, with one fan joking Mane’s first touch was replaced by former Red Momo Sissoko.
I want to hunt down the man who stole Sadio Mane's first touch and replaced it with Momo Sissoko's.
— Henry Jackson (@HenryJackson87) December 28, 2021
Grobbelaar needs to piss on Mane's feet ASAP.
— Benjamin Levi Oscar⚽ (@BenjaLevi) December 28, 2021
If I had a dollar for every time Mane has let me down pic.twitter.com/PfBC4ncM7S
— KJ (@kopite4ever1) December 28, 2021
If Sadio Mane was a nurse pic.twitter.com/IPP6Ggsnkt
— Troll Football (@TrollFootball) December 28, 2021
Having now dropped points again for the second consecutive time, Liverpool’s title chase appears to be more or less beyond salvage.
