Liverpool's Passion for Salah

LIVERPOOL, SATURDAY — Mohamed Salah completed his duties with Liverpool before joining the Egyptian national team positively. Although he did not score against Brighton & Hove Albion in the 2-0 victory for "The Reds" on Saturday (13/12/2025) at Anfield Stadium, the "King of Egypt" proved that his role extends beyond just pursuing goals for himself.

Salah has not been included in the starting lineup of Liverpool's 11 main players for four consecutive matches. This is the worst record since his debut representing Liverpool in August 2017.

However, Salah's presence in the squad list has already become good news. He is no longer frozen out of the Red's squad as he was during the match against Inter Milan in the Champions League last week. The injury suffered by right-back Joe Gomez has turned into a blessing for Salah.

He entered the game in the 26th minute. Without warming up, the 33-year-old player had no difficulty playing immediately. Veteran left-back Andy Robertson encouraged Salah by patting his teammate's back while he was putting on the Liverpool jersey.

Subsequently, assistant manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst accompanied Salah as he walked towards the sidelines to prepare to enter the match arena. Salah's presence immediately made an impact with a key pass to Alexis Mc Allister in the 27th minute.

Salah's peak performance occurred in the 60th minute. He provided an assist from a corner kick for Hugo Ekitike's second goal. Previously, the French striker had given "The Reds" the lead just 46 seconds into the match.

The goal from the corner executed by Salah marks Liverpool's first record in the English Premier League 2025-2026. It was Salah's first assist for Liverpool since the Merseyside derby against Everton on September 20, 2025.

In addition to an assist, Salah made a significant contribution to Liverpool's offensive play with five key passes. A total of 21 out of 27 accurate passes by Salah were made in the opponent's defensive zone.

One noticeable flaw in Salah's performance was his lack of goals. Salah had his best chance in the 90+2 minute during a fast break. Unfortunately, Salah's first touch from Federico Chiesa's pass failed to convert. The ball sailed over the Brighton crossbar.

After providing an assist for Ekitike, appreciation for Salah echoed in the stands of Anfield. Songs about Salah resonated in every corner of The Kop. Once again, this demonstrated the immense love that Liverpool supporters continue to show for their best player over the past decade.

Salah also gave a victory lap to the Liverpool fans after the final whistle. It was his farewell before heading to Morocco to join the Egyptian national team at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Salah is already confirmed to miss the two Premier League games against Tottenham Hotspur next week and Wolverhampton Wanderers on Boxing Day.

If Egypt manages to advance to the knockout stage and even to the final, then Salah will not play in four of Liverpool's matches at the beginning of 2026. The matches that Salah is likely to miss include the clash against Arsenal on January 8, 2026.

"Today, what he has done, he (Salah) has perfectly answered all doubts about his role at Liverpool. He was just unfortunate not to score," said Ashley Williams, former defender of the Wales national team, to the BBC.

According to Liverpool manager Arne Slot, Salah's performance is no surprise. He said Liverpool still needs Salah.

" Salah is a threat to our opponents. He immediately contributes when playing. It was an easy decision to reintegrate him into the squad. We need him, and he provided an assist," said Slot.

Losing Salah for the Africa Cup, Slot continued, is an opportunity for other players to shine. "He is heading to the Africa Cup, which means we are losing one player. This is a situation we have been aware of since before the season started. Hopefully, one or two players can recover from injury," he stated.

In the match against Brighton, Liverpool was still without Jeremie Frimpong and Cody Gakpo, who have not recovered from physical issues. Chiesa and Alexander Isak were not in fit condition, thus only playing towards the end of the match.

The appeal of Liverpool's match against Brighton, which was supposed to revolve around Salah, was turned on its head by Ekitike. The towering striker scored a brace, or two goals in two consecutive Premier League matches.

Before securing a two-goal victory without reply against Brighton, Ekitike scored two goals against Leeds United last weekend. The match ended in a 3-3 draw.

A collection of seven goals has been scored by Ekitike in 15 appearances during his debut season in the English Premier League. This quantity of goals has allowed Ekitike to surpass two of his seniors at Liverpool, namely Salah and Gakpo, who have contributed four goals in domestic competitions.

A pair of goals from Ekitike helped Liverpool move closer to the top four zone. The Reds accumulated 26 points to temporarily rise to sixth place. They are two points behind Chelsea, who hold the fourth position after defeating Everton 2-0 at Stamford Bridge at the same time.

"I can't say this was a perfect match for me. I know I could have scored more goals today. The most important thing was winning in front of our fans," Ekitike said, as reported by Sky Sports.

Amid his increasingly crucial role for Liverpool, Ekitike does not wish to be self-centered. He emphasizes the importance of the Reds' squad remaining united and cohesive after achieving two consecutive victories within four days. In midweek, Liverpool triumphed over Inter with a score of 1-0.

"We must remain united and cohesive. I believe we deserve to win today. We have had an amazing week, and let us continue," he stated.

Not to be outdone, Ekitike praised Salah's role for Liverpool. "Mohamed (Salah) is an extraordinary professional. I consider him a role model. He is a legend here. Sharing the field with him is a blessing. He is a player who makes us enjoy watching football," said Ekitike, who is ten years younger than Salah.

When Liverpool managed to secure their first victory in December, Brighton experienced a contrasting result. In three matches in the final month of the year, Brighton suffered two defeats and one draw. This outcome puts "The Seagulls" increasingly at risk of falling out of the top 10 zone.

After playing 16 matches, they have still accumulated 23 points. They will be displaced from ninth place if there is a winner in the Sunderland versus Newcastle match and Tottenham defeats Nottingham Forest, Sunday (14/12/2025).