MARSEILLE, France — Mohamed Salah made his return to the starting lineup for Liverpool, contributing to a 3-0 Champions League victory over Marseille on Wednesday, following his stint at the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Egyptian forward experienced a challenging month at Liverpool before heading to AFCON, where he was unable to start any matches for the team after a 4-1 defeat to PSV Eindhoven around eight weeks ago.
After the match, coach Arne Slot commended Salah’s professionalism, noting that his long-standing rapport with teammates made for a smooth reintegration into the starting XI.
“His familiarity with the team dynamics is invaluable,” Slot remarked in the postmatch press conference. “It’s impressive how well he maintained his fitness level after being away for a month, and he was ready to play a full 90 minutes today.
“He came close to scoring, with a good ball from Cody [Gakpo] that usually finds the back of the net for him. Even though it didn’t happen tonight, it didn’t adversely affect us since we secured three goals. Overall, I observed numerous strong individual performances, similar to what I saw against Arsenal, Burnley, and again tonight.”
Following the setback against PSV, Liverpool remained unbeaten over the next 12 matches, though they struggled with four consecutive draws in the Premier League, during which Salah was not on the field for four matches then absent for seven while representing Egypt. He also missed Liverpool’s match against Inter Milan on December 9.
Reflecting on Wednesday’s performance at the Stade Vélodrome, Slot noted: “What stood out today, compared to earlier this season, was our ability to capitalize on scoring chances. When we hit the post for a potential 2-0 lead, they created a chance immediately after. In prior games, those opportunities would have resulted in goals against us, but tonight, we scored two more.”
“Our performance remains consistent, but the narrative surrounding us has shifted significantly.”
Salah participated in the AFCON tournament until the weekend, where Egypt was narrowly defeated by Nigeria in a penalty shootout for third place.
Slot had alluded on Tuesday to Salah’s immediate return to the lineup, playfully suggesting fans keep an eye on the lineup for confirmation.
In December, Salah expressed feeling “thrown under the bus” by the Premier League champions after being benched during a rough stretch of performances.
There had been considerable speculation regarding the future of 33-year-old Salah, with rumors suggesting a move to the Saudi Arabian league during the January transfer window could be imminent.
Report contributed by ESPN’s Beth Lindop.