Arne Slot created headlines when he named his Liverpool starting lineup to face West Ham United on Sunday, with Mohamed Salah demoted to the bench. Having been an ever-present in the Premier League last season, it was the first time the Egyptian had been named a replacement since the Dutchman took over from Jurgen Klopp.
Coincidentally, the last time Salah was on the bench for a Premier League game was against West Ham, where he memorably argued with Klopp before being introduced as a substitute in April 2024.
When heading into the mixed zone at London Stadium after the final whistle, the 33-year-old famously claimed ‘there is going to be fire’ if he stopped to chat with reporters.
A 2-2 draw in the capital on that occasion effectively ruined Liverpool’s title aspirations during a poor end to the season, exacerbating the forward’s fury even more given that he was only introduced in the 79th minute, shortly after Michail Antonio equalised for the hosts.
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However, there was still more action than Salah witnessed at the London Stadium 582 days later.
With the Egyptian leaving as an unused substitute, there would be no fights with Slot or pointed words to media as he exited this time.
Instead, Salah could only watch from the bench as Slot replaced Alexander Isak with Hugo Ekitike after 68 minutes and Florian Wirtz with Curtis Jones in the 75th minute. Then, with Milos Kerkez cramping, Andy Robertson was introduced 10 minutes later.
Slot’s choice paid off, as the Reds won 2-0 at West Ham after suffering huge defeats against Manchester City, Nottingham Forest, and PSV Eindhoven.
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