Hello and welcome to the game football podcast from The Times.

A last minute equalizer conceded and a shock outburst from a disgruntled star.

Liverpool's Premier League title defence continues to spiral into a catastrophe.

Is there any way back for Mohammed Sala and what now for Liverpool and Arna Slot? On today's show, we'll also ask whether Aston Villa's win against Arsenal Makes them title contenders And we'll look at victories for Everton, Tottenham, Fulham and much, much more. I'm Tom Clark and joining me today, we have the senior sports writer and Sunday Times columnist Alison Rudd, the football reporter who covers clubs in the south of England with a focus on Tottenham. It's Tom Allnut and a former footballer turned journalist. Grega Robertson is here as usual. Team loads to talk about. Let's get stuck straight in. Mohamed Sala. What a story. What a story after an amazing game. I mean, I should just say very quickly, I feel sorry for Leeds, don't you? What an amazing, amazing a night at Ellen Road. Three-three, under the light, Saturday evening, late Equalizer. I'm just getting the mention in now. Leeds fans, that's probably all you're getting. That's probably all you're getting, because then Mohamed Salah comes out into the mix zone afterwards and accuses Liverpool of throwing him under the bus, said his relationship with manager

Arnis-slot is non-existent, basically, said he would say goodbye to Liverpool supporters after the

game.

As Paul Joyce wrote in the game and on the Times website today, Alison, basically kind of

lobbing a grenade into Liverpool's already disastrous season.

What was your reaction on Saturday night when you saw these comments from Mosella?

Well, I agree they're not helpful.

But actually, if you bother to watch him speaking, he's very calm and with an underlying tone of emotion. And the more,

the more I've read it through and thought about it, everyone's laid into him. Everyone is laid

into him. But are we as journalists going to sit here and deny him freedom of expression?

Who are we to say he doesn't feel the

things he's saying? Everyone's assumed it's a calculated attempt to get a move to Saudi Arabia.

Maybe he genuinely feels this is awful. It's just from his point of view to be stuck on the bench

and made the scapegoat, which is how he feels and who will we to deny that that's how he genuinely feels. Why would we, I mean, it seems to me most people are saying, we know you're probably unhappy with the way the title defence is going mode, but you're not allowed to say those things. Of course he's allowed to say those things. So that's your considered reaction, and I said, what was your reaction on Saturday? You threw the remote control across the room presumably surely.

That can't have been your take on Saturday night, surely.

Actually I was fairly calm about it.

Really?

I really was because it's been so bad.

Are you surprised?

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