For the first time in five years, Mohamed Salah was named in a Premier League matchday squad for Liverpool, but he never made it onto the field.
The Egyptian, Arne Slot said, was rotated out of the starting XI as a means of keeping him fresh ahead of a hectic fixture schedule, but there can be no denying that his team looked well-balanced without him. Florian Wirtz excelled, Alexander Isak scored, and Dominik Szoboszlai put in another shift while he was moved out to the right-hand side.
When Salah heads to AFCON in a few weeks, this might be the template that Liverpool uses. But what about before then? This week, Slot's men take on Sunderland and Leeds.
For all that Salah was not missed at the London Stadium, there is no doubt that it would be a surprise if he didn't start at least one of the next two games — or maybe even both.
It remains to be seen whether or not Joe Gomez can start again midweek having done a rare 90 minutes at right-back against West Ham. Moving Szoboszlai back to full-back could open up the right-wing berth for Salah.
Rather than it being the case that the 33-year-old now needs a spell out of the team because it performed in a more solid way on Sunday, it will be up to Salah to show that he can fit in. And a determined Salah with a point to prove is usually an effective one.
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool
Mohamed Salah was a substitute for Liverpool at the weekend (Image: Richard Martin-Roberts - CameraSport, CameraSport via Getty Images)
Salah has not been anywhere close to his peak this season and no one would argue anything other than that. However, the rest of the team functioning more optimally should bring more out of him.
Wirtz, given a free role, put in one of his best performances in a Liverpool jersey to date, but there is no reason why that couldn't continue with Salah alongside him.
Likewise, if Gomez can go again and perform to a similar level, that might be the kind of full-back required to take the defensive responsibility away from Salah and let him focus on the areas where he is best.
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For once, there is a genuine discussion to be had about whether Salah would be the best option to face Sunderland, Leeds, both or neither.
But while Slot found a blueprint that worked at West Ham, it would be wrong to assume that it is the automatic fix moving forward.
Salah might not have featured against West Ham, but don't bet against him starting the fixtures between now and when he heads for Morocco.
He won't have enjoyed watching on from the stands in East London — and he'll be determined to put that right.