How Mohamed Salah, Arne Slot and Anfield came back together in restorative Liverpool win over Brighton

First came the serenade to Mohamed Salah and then, seconds later, the chorus of Arne Slot’s name. Anfield did not need to choose between Liverpool’s greatest player of the last decade and title-winning manager. They could have both. For one more afternoon. Perhaps for much longer.

Seven days after Salah had claimed they had no relationship any more, it was repaired sufficiently to allow his return. Slot suggested their problems are in the past. “For me there is no issue to resolve,” he said. “For me, he is the same as any other player.” Which was not the case when he was a man apart, banished from the squad who travelled to Milan. But a rapprochement meant Liverpool could celebrate a happy ending to a fraught week.

Brighton were beaten, Liverpool’s unbeaten run without Salah starting stretching to five games. Hugo Ekitike scored a double for a second successive Saturday but it seems his lot in life is to be forever overshadowed. So he was again; not by Salah’s words after the game but by his presence in it. A few days after it seemed he may have played his last game for Liverpool, he played his next. It assumed a far greater importance than merely being his last before he heads off to the African Cup of Nations. “It was an easy decision to put him in the squad,” said Slot. “Actions speak louder than what has been said and he was in the squad again and when I had to make my first substitution, I brought him.”

So there was a restorative feel to it. Anfield may have been swathed in forgiveness. There was an air of unity when the Kop saluted first Salah and then Slot. There was an immediate reason, too: Salah had helped put the game beyond Brighton, the supporters singing his name before he took the corner that Ekitike headed in.

“He was a threat and that is important,” said Slot. “That is pleasing to see but not a surprise.” Salah had a shot parried by Bart Verbruggen and, in injury time, skied an effort when supplied by Federico Chiesa. At times, it felt his colleagues were trying too hard to set him up to score but perhaps it was fitting that he departed with an assist but no goal. He cost himself shots with a willingness to pass at every opportunity that was evident; so, too, the commitment that was most conspicuous when he sprinted back as Brighton counter-attacked from a Liverpool corner. He was forever scurrying around – those solo gym sessions while his teammates were in Italy may have worked – and a player accused of selfishness after his outburst at Elland Road seemed intent on addressing criticisms.

He can argue he has always been a team player, but in his own way. His 421 Liverpool appearances have included 250 goals but also, now, some 114 assists. “We have been so many times this season on the wrong side of the set-piece battle,” said Slot. That was another situation Salah set about improving.

And, after his talks with Slot on Friday paved the way for his return, the manager showed he was serious about bringing Salah back. The man who claimed he was thrown under the bus was thrown on earlier than expected, with Joe Gomez injured after 25 minutes and Dominik Szoboszlai, who had again assumed Salah’s usual role, reverting to right-back.

Salah was greeted by huge cheers and his song. The past deeds that Salah had seemed to think should guarantee him selection earned him a warm welcome. It was reciprocated at the final whistle, Salah applauding the fans, who reciprocated. The Egyptian mouthed “thank you” to the Kop, patting the badge on his shirt; he may have been seeking to earn back a place in some affections but it did not feel as though he was waving goodbye. “He wasn’t the only player who walked around the pitch, thanking the fans,” argued Slot.

Significant as Salah’s reappearance was, Liverpool had already gone some way towards securing victory before his introduction. Ekitike had delivered two goals in three minutes in a quickfire burst at Leeds last week. He added the fastest goal of the Premier League season and Liverpool’s earliest in the competition since 2019. He hooked in a half-volley, with a brilliant finish. It stemmed from Yankuba Minteh’s strange cross-field ball, which Joe Gomez headed down, earning the right-back an assist.

With a minor knock restricting Alexander Isak to the bench, Ekitike was alone up front and electric, unleashing a series of shots. Yet Brighton had a threat of their own. Alisson made a close-range save from Diego Gomez. Later the Paraguayan shot just wide at the far post. Minteh was a menace, seeking to make amends for his part in the Liverpool goal. Brajan Gruda whipped a shot just wide. “Quite a frustrating result,” said Fabian Hurzeler. “The game was there to win it.”

He gave Kaoru Mitoma a comeback after 10 weeks out but another substitute met with a louder cheer. There was an Anfield ovation for a Liverpool great making perhaps his final appearance at Anfield. But that was for James Milner. If Slot is to be believed, Salah may be seen again.