Liverpool teammates holding Mohamed Salah back after his benching tells its own story.

 

 

Mohamed Salah will feel he has something to prove after being left out of Liverpool’s Premier League starting XI for the first time in over a year. The Reds star had to watch from the sidelines as his teammates secured an important 2–0 victory over West Ham United.

 

It was the first league match in which Arne Slot opted to drop Salah, and it comes after the forward previously reacted angrily to being benched. The last time he was left out in the Premier League—back in April 2024 at West Ham—Jurgen Klopp had rested him following a dip in form. On that occasion, Klopp did bring Salah on, but just as he was preparing to enter the pitch, West Ham equalised to make it 2–2, sparking a heated exchange between Salah and his manager. Darwin Núñez stepped in to separate them, and cameras caught the whole confrontation. Liverpool went on to draw the match, a result that further harmed their title bid.

 

Klopp later downplayed the argument, saying it had already been discussed in the dressing room. But Salah’s remark—“If I speak, there will be fire”—suggested tensions still lingered. The clash also happened the day after Slot had been announced as Klopp’s successor. Under Slot the following season, Salah delivered, scoring 29 goals in 38 league matches and helping the club win a second Premier League title.

 

Recently, though, Salah hasn’t been able to lift Liverpool out of a poor run of form. Slot’s side had lost nine of their previous 12 matches before beating West Ham, with Salah scoring only twice in that stretch. He has not yet commented on being benched, but the move may give him the extra motivation needed to rediscover his best level. Liverpool will be hoping he can spark a turnaround before departing for the Africa Cup of Nations later this month. They begin December in eighth place, nine points behind league leaders Arsenal.

 

Slot, meanwhile, insists the decision was purely about rotation during a demanding run of fixtures. “We have more players on the bench than just Mo,” he told Sky Sports. “We’re playing four games in 10 days. I chose this line-up today because I have many good players. Sometimes Isak has been on the bench, sometimes Wirtz. It’s always about more than just who doesn’t start.”

 

He added that he has often had to make tough calls: “It’s not the first time I haven’t played Mo, the same way I’ve decided not to start Isak, Wirtz or Etikite.”