UCL Final: Wenger blames Salah, Mane for Liverpool loss to Real Madrid

Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says Liverpool stars Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane failed to perform in their Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid.

Real Madrid scored with their first shot on target of the game and were able to hold on to secure a 1-0 win and their 14th Champions League trophy. The defeat came just six days after Liverpool’s Premier League dream ended on the final day of the season.

Wenger believes the drama-filled final day of the campaign had an impact on Liverpool’s performance on Saturday, explaining to beIN Sports that he believed both Salah and Mane were disappointing.

“I wonder after watching that game if the disappointment of last week, being beaten [to the title] in the last game of the season had somewhere dropped a level of confidence. You felt as well that Salah, Mane, the guys who make the difference, didn’t have the same freshness, the same belief that they can make the difference.”

Wenger went on to praise the performance of Madrid’s key man Thibaut Courtois, who was named Man of the Match for his heroics between the posts.

The Frenchman said: “Overall they came short, we must be honest, because of Courtois. I felt at some stage that if Liverpool came back to 1-1 they’d come back and win the game. But they never found that special moment where they could finish their chances off, and a lot of that is down to Courtois.”