Mo Salah played just 59 of a possible 180 minutes against PSG, yet still ended the tie as one of the most creative players on either side.
Salah was left unused as Liverpool succumbed to a 2-0 first-leg defeat in Paris, with Slot favouring Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz and Dominik Szoboszlai as he switched to a back three.
Given the need for goals, the expectation was that the club’s record Champions League goalscorer would start the second leg, but that was not the case.
Ekitike’s nasty-looking injury forced Slot’s hand, however, and Salah went on to play only 59 minutes of a possible 180 minutes against PSG – and yet, he was the Reds’ most creative outlet.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Tuesday, April 14, 2026: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah reacts to conceding the first goal during the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final 2nd Leg match between Liverpool FC and Paris Saint-Germain FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
As per FotMob, Salah’s outing at Anfield saw him accumulate:
• 57 touches: Only five Reds had more, they were all starters
• 4 chances created: Joint-highest with Wirtz
• 14 touches in opposition box: Most of any player
• 0.52 expected assists: Joint-highest with PSG’s Bradley Barcola
Across the two legs, including players from both teams, of which Salah only featured in one, the Egyptian finished with:
Mo Salah vs. PSG: The Numbers
Opposition Box Touches 2nd Most (14)
Chances Created 3rd Most (4)
Expected Assists (xA) Joint-Highest (0.52)
*Stats recorded across both legs; Salah featured in only one.
While Salah was certainly not clean with every disposal or at his clinical best, his presence on the field created opportunities – including his curled ball to Milos Kerkez and his pass into the box soon after he came on.
Liverpool looked unable to create without him on the pitch, and he provided moments of attacking inspiration otherwise absent across the two legs.
That is not to say he did not lose his duels (2/10) or relinquish possession easily, and there is no need to gloss over his drop in pace and physicality, but he offered more than most in the final third.
His presence alone makes the opposite defence think twice, even if he is not the same player he was, but Slot could, and should, have found a better way to use the club’s record Champions League goalscorer in the quarter-final.
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