Anfield held its breath in a moment that will be remembered for a very long time, not because of a goal, but because of a miss that shocked everyone inside the stadium and even left one of the greatest forwards in the world completely broken on the grass. Mohamed Salah, the man who has seen almost everything in football, collapsed to the ground in disbelief after witnessing Hugo Ekitike miss what looked like a certain goal against Manchester City. It was one of those moments that football sometimes produces, moments that leave fans speechless, commentators stunned, and players questioning what they have just seen with their own eyes.
The match itself already carried huge weight before a ball was even kicked. Liverpool against Manchester City at Anfield is never just another game. It is power versus power, belief versus belief, and often, title dreams versus heartbreak. Both teams came into the match knowing how much was at stake. City needed points to stay close in the title race, while Liverpool were desperate to show that Anfield remains a fortress where even the champions fear to tread.
The first half was tight, intense, and cautious. Both sides showed respect for each other, closing spaces, pressing intelligently, and refusing to take unnecessary risks. Chances were limited, tackles were fierce, and the atmosphere crackled with tension. When the halftime whistle blew with the score level, the feeling around Anfield was that something big was coming. The crowd sensed it. The players sensed it. This was a match waiting for a decisive moment.
Liverpool came out for the second half with fire in their eyes. From the very first minute after the restart, the Reds played with more hunger, more aggression, and more urgency. They pushed Manchester City deeper, forced mistakes, and started to dominate possession in dangerous areas. The noise from the stands grew louder with every forward run, every pressing tackle, every Liverpool attack that carried even the smallest hint of danger.
Around ten minutes into the second half, the moment arrived. It started, as so many great Liverpool attacks do, with Mohamed Salah. Picking up the ball near the edge of the penalty area, Salah assessed his options in a split second. He could have shot. He could have tried to beat his man. Instead, he produced a pass of pure genius. Using the outside of his foot, Salah curled the ball perfectly into the path of Hugo Ekitike, splitting the Manchester City defense open like it was not even there.
Ekitike suddenly found himself in a dream position. He was inside the box, completely free, with only Gianluigi Donnarumma standing between him and the net. The pass was perfect. The timing was perfect. The moment was perfect. Anfield rose to its feet, already celebrating in anticipation. This was the kind of chance strikers dream about. This was the kind of chance that changes games, seasons, and sometimes even careers.
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Then, unbelievably, the impossible happened.
Instead of calmly guiding the ball into the net, Ekitike completely misjudged the header. The ball went wide. Not just wide, but wide enough to leave everyone in shock. There was a split second of silence, the kind of silence that feels heavier than any roar. Then came the gasps, the hands on heads, and the screams of disbelief from tens of thousands of Liverpool supporters who could not understand how the ball had not ended up in the back of the net.
Mohamed Salah’s reaction said everything. The Egyptian forward did not shout. He did not complain. He simply collapsed to the ground, face down on the grass, completely stunned. This was not anger. This was disbelief. This was a man who had created a moment of brilliance, only to see it wasted in a way that defied logic.
Gary Neville, watching from the commentary box, could barely believe it himself. His voice captured the shock of the moment perfectly as he told viewers, “Salah has collapsed to the ground. He can’t believe he has missed. He has to score.” Neville’s words echoed what everyone watching was thinking. This was not a difficult chance. This was not a half chance. This was a golden opportunity, the type that elite strikers bury without thinking.
What made the miss even more shocking was the man involved. Hugo Ekitike is not a nervous youngster struggling for confidence. He is a striker who has been in brilliant form, a player who has already built a reputation this season for his composure, movement, and clinical finishing. In recent weeks, he had looked almost unstoppable, scoring important goals and proving that Liverpool made the right decision by trusting him as a key part of their attack.
This was the same Ekitike who scored a brilliant double against Newcastle, the same Ekitike who had already reached 15 Premier League goals in his debut season. A striker in that kind of form simply does not miss chances like this. That is why the reaction was so strong. That is why Salah collapsed. That is why Anfield could not believe what it had just witnessed.
Even if Ekitike had powered the header straight at Donnarumma and forced a world-class save, people would have accepted it. Goalkeepers are allowed to make great saves. But to miss the target entirely from that position felt unreal. It was a rare lapse, a moment where confidence, timing, and execution all failed at once.
For Ekitike himself, the seconds after the miss must have felt like hours. Every striker knows that feeling, the sinking feeling in the stomach when you know you should have scored. The pressure, the noise, the eyes of teammates and fans all weighing heavily. In those moments, football can be cruel. One second you are the hero. The next, you are the man everyone is talking about for the wrong reasons.
Liverpool, to their credit, did not let the miss destroy them. They kept pushing. They kept believing. They kept attacking Manchester City with the same intensity and courage. The crowd responded by lifting the team, refusing to let frustration turn into negativity. Anfield has always been about togetherness, especially in moments of disappointment.
Manchester City, meanwhile, looked shaken. They knew they had escaped. They knew they had been given a lifeline. Pep Guardiola paced the touchline nervously, aware that Liverpool were growing stronger with every passing minute. The pressure was relentless, and it felt like only a matter of time before something gave.
That moment finally arrived in the 74th minute, and once again, Anfield exploded. Dominik Szoboszlai stepped up for a long-range free kick, a position that seemed almost too far out to cause serious trouble. But Szoboszlai had other ideas. He struck the ball with incredible power and precision, sending it flying past Donnarumma and into the net in spectacular fashion.
The roar was deafening. The relief was overwhelming. Players ran to celebrate, fans hugged strangers, and the disappointment of Ekitike’s miss finally found its release. Liverpool had their goal. They had their lead. And Anfield had its moment of magic.
Szoboszlai’s goal was so good that many immediately compared it to the stunning free kick he had scored earlier in the season against Arsenal. Some even said this one was better. It was the kind of strike that lifts a stadium and reminds everyone why football is loved so deeply. In a game of fine margins, it was a moment of pure quality.
For Ekitike, the goal was a blessing. It meant his miss did not define the match. It meant Liverpool were not punished for that rare lapse. It allowed the young striker to breathe again, to refocus, and to remember that one moment does not erase everything he has done this season.
After the final whistle, the talk inevitably returned to that miss. It dominated conversations, social media, and analysis. But most Liverpool fans understood the bigger picture. Ekitike has been outstanding overall. Fifteen goals in a debut Premier League season is no small achievement. His movement, link-up play, and confidence have added a new dimension to Liverpool’s attack.
Every striker, no matter how great, has moments like this. Even legends have missed open goals. What matters is how players respond, how teams support them, and how quickly football moves on to the next moment.
Mohamed Salah’s reaction, collapsing to the ground in disbelief, will be replayed countless times. It perfectly captured the emotion of the moment. Not anger, not blame, but pure shock. It showed how much Salah cares, how desperate he was for Liverpool to take control of the game, and how unexpected the miss truly was.
In the end, football reminded everyone of its unpredictability. One second can change everything. One pass can create magic. One miss can freeze a stadium. And one stunning goal can erase frustration and turn despair into joy.
Anfield has seen many unforgettable moments over the years. Some are goals. Some are comebacks. And some, like this, are moments of disbelief that remind us that football is played by humans, not machines.
Hugo Ekitike will score many more goals for Liverpool. Mohamed Salah will create many more chances. And Manchester City will know that on another day, that miss could have changed everything.
But on this night, Liverpool found a way, Anfield roared again, and football delivered yet another story that will be talked about for years to come.
