Mohamed Salah was given a rare day off on Sunday as Liverpool got back to winning ways in the Premier League.
The Egyptian had not felt the sting of being left out of a Reds XI for more than 18 months, having last sat on the bench in April 2024.
Coincidentally, that occasion also came at the London Stadium and saw Salah and Jurgen Klopp have an infamous spat on the West Ham touchline.
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How does Arne Slot fit Hugo Ekitike into Liverpool’s best XI?
There's got to be a way to get him more involved
Hugo Ekitike pictured during Liverpool's Premier League match against West Ham United at the London Stadium
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
There were no such fireworks on Sunday, as the out-of-form 33-year-old seemingly accepted Arne Slot’s decision with good grace.
If Salah was forgiving, though, fellow benchwarmer Hugo Ekitike should have been less so. The Frenchman did at least get some minutes for Liverpool in East London, but it was far from being enough.
Hugo Ekitike has to start more for Liverpool
Heading into the game there was some doubt over whether Ekitike was going to be fit at all.
The 23-year-old had to be substituted during Wednesday’s loss against PSV Eindhoven, and there were fears he could be missing.
Alexander Isak of Liverpool is substituted off for Hugo Ekitike during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Liverpool at London Stadium
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
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However, having been fit enough to play 22 minutes from the bench, there is an argument that Ekitike could even have been ready to start the game.
He has by and large been pushed down to second-choice since Isak’s arrival, but has regularly shown more than the Swede when he has played.
In the long-term, there has to be a plan to get Isak and Ekitike in the same team together. That is possible, but Slot seems reluctant to do it.
With both strikers now fit and ready to play, the Liverpool head coach has to get them both in the starting line-up for Wednesday’s clash with Sunderland. If Ekitike was annoyed to be left out on Sunday, he should be fuming if he misses that one as well.
Should Mohamed Salah start against Sunderland?
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool warms up during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Liverpool at London Stadium
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
How to get Ekitike into Liverpool’s XI
Those who questioned the wisdom of Liverpool signing both Ekitike and Isak last summer have so far been justified in their scepticism.
However, Sunday showed the way towards a team in which the two strikers can start together.
Unfortunately for Salah, he is not included in that plan, and it feels as though if Liverpool are serious about turning their form around this season, the Egyptian King is going to have to play less.
Instead, Ekitike can come in and fit exactly into the role Cody Gakpo played against West Ham. Gakpo did well enough, and you can’t knock a performance with a goal and an assist, but he still looks the odd one out in the Liverpool attack.
This team has to be built around Ekitike, Isak and Florian Wirtz. With Dominik Szoboszlai pulling wide right at times and Wirtz doing the same on the left, the two centre-forwards can be left to operate in the width of the penalty box.
If Slot continues to look in a different direction, he is going to risk upsetting Ekitike even further. As for Salah, he can sadly have no complaints.
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