It tells you plenty about the confidence Arne Slot has in himself — under pressure to get a victory and offer a sign that a dire run of Liverpool results is coming to an end — that he felt emboldened enough to take Mohamed Salah out of his starting XI against West Ham.
A year ago, it would have been unthinkable due to his form, of course, but also because of the status that he held within the squad (only two seasons ago, Salah rather publicly fell out with Jurgen Klopp at the London Stadium before being sent on as a substitute on that occasion).
While the Egyptian's recent performances haven't warranted being a nailed-on starter, the decision had the potential to backfire in a big way.
Though he has been poor of late, had Liverpool dropped more points here, it would have been legitimate to ask if the lack of Salah hadn’t helped. The scrutiny on Slot would only have increased had things unraveled further.
Instead, however, while Liverpool was not scintillating, by any stretch, it was solid. Structurally, without Salah, the team looked stronger, and there was a collective gain.
Getting Dominik Szoboszlai and Florian Wirtz in the same starting XI isn’t easy, at least if Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch are playing too — and they will, more often than not.
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 30: Mohamed Salah of Liverpool on the substitutes bench during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Liverpool at London Stadium on November 30, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Izzy Poles - AMA/Getty Images)
Mohamed Salah watches on from the substitutes bench during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Liverpool at London Stadium on November 30, 2025 (Image: Izzy Poles - AMA/Getty Images)
But losing Salah enabled Liverpool to see a glimpse of what the plan might eventually be without him. Szoboszlai wasn’t positioned as centrally as he has been in the main, but the Hungarian certainly puts the miles in. He never stops.
And Salah, ultimately, hasn’t been as strong in that department of late, while offering much less in the decisive part of the pitch. When he moves on — or even just when he is at AFCON — this was a hint of how things might look.
Liverpool spent big — $319 million (£241 million) big — on Isak and Wirtz for a reason: to somehow fill the huge void that Salah one day will leave behind.
Slot had suggested before the game that Salah was rested rather than dropped here, but he now faces a big call against Sunderland and Leeds. After things finally looked like a cohesive unit again, can he afford to change a winning team?
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He might have to swap his right-back if Joe Gomez is unable to go again in four days. Alexander Isak was far from perfect before his goal too, and his fitness is still being managed, but bringing in Salah could disrupt the balance just as quickly as it was rediscovered.
In all likelihood, even though Liverpool played much better here, Salah will come back in against Regis Le Bris’ high-flying team midweek.
At number nine, Isak and Hugo Ekitike could swap without too much difference for Wednesday. Likewise, the potential changes at full-back shouldn’t make too much of a discrepancy.
If Salah does start again, though, the onus will be on him to show that he can slot in as seamlessly as Wirtz did. If not, the transition from old to new could accelerate.