Mohamed Salah dismisses Milos Kerkez’s frustration with a laugh as his true thoughts on Liverpool’s decision come to light.

Liverpool laid down a challenge to Arsenal on Saturday, extending their lead at the top of the Premier League to nine points ahead of the Gunners’ clash with Manchester City on Sunday.

Mohamed Salah’s penalty—his 20th league goal of the season—came after Cody Gakpo was fouled by Lewis Cook, with the Egyptian later securing his 25th goal in all competitions with a brilliant finish in the closing stages at the Vitality Stadium.

But while those key moments grabbed the headlines, several intriguing subplots unfolded on the south coast. Here’s a look at some of the lesser-seen moments from the match.

Cook Controversy

The biggest source of frustration for Bournemouth fans was the decision to award Liverpool a penalty after Gakpo was brought down by Cook. Despite VAR choosing not to overturn referee Darren England’s decision, the home crowd reacted furiously, branding Gakpo “embarrassing” and spending much of the match berating the referee.

Post-match, Liverpool manager Arne Slot addressed the controversy, saying:

“Controversy from who? Online, there is always controversy! Especially from fans that are not in favour of Liverpool. I haven’t watched it back, but if one of my players is through on goal and goes down, it’s either a dive or a foul. If it’s a foul, then it’s a penalty for me.”

Interestingly, footage later surfaced showing Cook appearing to admit, “Yeah, it’s a foul…” to teammates David Brooks and Ilya Zabarnyi, a moment that quickly went viral among Liverpool supporters online.

Kerkez’s Frustrations

With recent transfer links to Liverpool, Milos Kerkez seemed eager to impress, putting in an aggressive defensive display against Salah. However, one particular challenge saw him penalized for excessive physicality while attempting to stop the Egyptian forward.

Kerkez reacted angrily to the decision, gesturing his frustration at the referee, while Salah remained unfazed, shrugging off the attention and continuing with the game. Ultimately, there was little the Hungarian full-back could do to stop Salah from scoring his second of the match.

Salah Booed by Bournemouth Fans

Despite simply converting the penalty rather than winning it, Salah became a target for boos from the home crowd after opening the scoring. Every touch he took for the remainder of the first half was met with jeers, though the reason for the hostility remained unclear.

Not that it seemed to bother him—Salah took it in stride, showing no reaction and letting his per

formance do the talking.