“No Reason to Want Salah to Leave” – Slot Calms Storm as Ekitike Steals Anfield Show
Liverpool’s latest win came wrapped in drama, resolution and a new hero. As Mohamed Salah made an earlier-than-expected return following a turbulent week, it was Hugo Ekitike who ultimately decided the contest, scoring twice in a 2-0 victory over Brighton and announcing himself as a growing force in Arne Slot’s evolving side.
Salah’s presence alone was the story before a ball was kicked. Dropped in midweek after publicly claiming he had been “thrown under the bus” by the club, the Egyptian forward returned to the matchday squad after talks with Slot on Friday. Most expected a cautious reintegration. Instead, circumstances forced the issue far sooner than planned.
Just 46 seconds after kickoff, Ekitike struck. With television cameras still fixed on Salah on the bench, the French striker latched onto a loose sequence sparked by Yankuba Minteh’s risky cross-field ball, took a touch and rifled a rising shot into the roof of the net. It was the fastest goal of the Premier League season and a moment that instantly changed the tone inside Anfield.
Slot’s hand was forced midway through the first half when Joe Gomez was injured, prompting Salah’s introduction far earlier than anticipated. The substitution was not tactical but political as much as practical. Leaving Salah unused on a day like this would have only intensified the noise.
What followed was telling. Salah immediately injected tempo, combining sharply with Alexis Mac Allister and nearly creating another opening for Ekitike. The Kop responded quickly, breaking into Salah’s song, a reminder that whatever the tension behind the scenes, his bond with the supporters remains intact.
Liverpool’s 4-2-3-1 shape under Slot places heavy defensive demands on wide attackers, a system not naturally tailored to Salah’s strengths. Yet when Brighton threatened on the counter, Dominik Szoboszlai’s lung-busting recovery run was matched closely by Salah’s own tracking back. It did not go unnoticed.
After the break, Salah forced Bart Verbruggen into a save that led to the corner from which Ekitike doubled Liverpool’s lead, rising unmarked to head home. The chants for the Frenchman barely had time to settle before they were drowned out again by applause for Salah and then for Slot himself.
Behind the headline drama, Liverpool’s performance offered genuine encouragement. This was their third win in five unbeaten matches and arguably their most controlled display in weeks. Florian Wirtz and Mac Allister continued to build a promising understanding, dictating large spells of the first half, while Ekitike’s movement repeatedly unsettled Brighton’s back line.
Brighton had chances. Diego Gómez struck Alisson’s upright and Brajan Gruda dragged wide as the visitors grew into the second half. But Liverpool always looked the more dangerous side, with Ekitike a constant outlet and Salah increasingly influential.
The broader implications extend beyond a single result. Salah, who is set to depart soon for the Africa Cup of Nations, suggested last weekend that this could be his final season at Anfield. Talks between his representatives and the club are ongoing, and Slot was keen to dampen speculation afterward, insisting there is “no reason” to want the forward to leave.
Salah’s own actions hinted at unfinished business. In stoppage time, he spurned a late chance, firing over Federico Chiesa’s cross, a miss that felt symbolic of a season not yet fully settled. At the final whistle, he applauded all four sides of the stadium, lingering in front of the Kop as they sang his name.
For Liverpool, this was about more than managing a superstar’s return. It was about momentum, clarity and the emergence of a striker growing into responsibility. Amid the Salah circus, Ekitike’s rise could easily have been overlooked. Slot will not make that mistake.
The questions now shift forward. Can Liverpool sustain this balance once Salah departs for international duty? Is Ekitike ready to carry a heavier scoring load? And perhaps most pressing of all, does this uneasy truce signal renewal or merely a pause in an inevitable farewell?
Anfield, for now, is choosing hope.