Mohamed Salah was the last man standing in front of the Kop, applauding them as they responded in kind. Or those who were left did, anyway, with Anfield’s most iconic stand half-empty. This was not how it was supposed to end, and yet, perhaps it was inevitable. There may have been memories of his Champions League nights with Liverpool flashing before his eyes: the evisceration of Roma in the 2018 semi-final, the epic comeback against Barcelona he watched while injured, the penalty against Tottenham in the final. Goals against Manchester City, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Inter.
Though not Paris Saint-Germain. Salah’s fifth and last appearance against them in a Liverpool shirt was as a replacement. PSG’s twin 2-0 wins meant there will be no valedictory victory in Budapest in May, no chance to bow out as Kevin Keegan and Graeme Souness did as a European champion. For Salah, and Andy Robertson, who also joined in 2017, their Liverpool careers in Europe can be split into two halves: they reached three Champions League finals in the first five seasons, no semi-final in the last four. Salah was an unused substitute in Paris last week, an energetic 12th man who was summoned earlier than Arne Slot expected on Tuesday.
But the team selection was a slight to Salah. It was, in its own way, an awful evening in different ways for each of Liverpool’s fantasy forward line. The anguish for Salah was mental, the pain for Hugo Ekitike physical. Slot fears the Frenchman’s season is over. Then there was Alexander Isak. “The good thing is Alex is back,” said Slot, though Liverpool derived few immediate benefits from the £125m man’s first start in 2026.
What could have been a fresh beginning was instead a familiar problem, a team both rearranged to and weakened by including Isak, a semi-fit passenger. “He was twice close to a goal and that’s why you play a striker of his level,” said Slot. Although, on the second occasion, Isak was offside. The Swede has been the expensive complication; Slot’s logic was that, as the game could go to extra time and he did not know how long Isak would last, it was better to start him than to risk needing to substitute a substitute. Yet, as in the defeats to Manchester United and Nottingham Forest, Liverpool would surely have looked a more compelling side by omitting Isak.
The official statistics – discounting his contributions when offside – showed Isak with a mere five touches; his replacement Cody Gakpo also played 45 minutes, mustered 25 and posed far more of a threat. Meanwhile, Ekitike’s early departure meant Liverpool ended up chasing the game without the two costliest forwards in their history; yet another emblematic indication of how their plans have gone awry after a summer of unprecedented spending. Meanwhile, Florian Wirtz, the other £100m addition, failed to unlock the PSG defence.
Slot has started quoting the statistics of how few minutes Wirtz, Isak and Ekitike have played together; just 88 before Tuesday, up to 119 now (even if the last few of those were with the Frenchman being stretchered off). They have brought three goals for them: one for Ekitike against Eintracht Frankfurt, one each for him and the Swede at Tottenham before the latter was injured. “I would be surprised if we add more minutes to that this season,” said Slot.
That total is still lower – just 28 – with Salah and the three summer signings on the pitch together. Now, if the Dutchman’s fears about Ekitike are realised, he will never need to find a formula for the supposedly Fab Four.
But Wirtz, Ekitike and Isak were signed to provide a future beyond Salah, the question of how and where they were all intended to play together remains unresolved. It is hard to escape the sense that Liverpool, and Slot, never actually had an answer.
Tuesday’s uneasy compromise had Ekitike on the right: perhaps his third-best position, as well as being Salah’s favourite berth. It was the familiar script of others being shunted around the side or demoted to the bench to accommodate Isak.
It was an unfortunate end to a genuinely encouraging debut year at Liverpool from Ekitike. He is prone to goal droughts and can be profligate. He does not press as intensely as some predecessors in the Liverpool forward line. But he has blistering pace, considerable talent, and an endearing ebullience. From the off, he looked so gifted as to invite questions why Liverpool were so adamant they needed Isak; instead of a specialist striker, they should instead have signed a versatile forward to replace Luis Diaz. Ekitike’s 17 goals represent a fine start for a player who could be the long-term No 9. He has been the closest thing to a success in their £450m recruitment drive.
It was notable that six summer arrivals started against PSG, including Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Giorgi Mamardashvili. Isak was the biggest buy and the worst: not just at Liverpool, but in the Premier League as a whole.
Now Ekitike’s absence renders Isak suddenly more important. Liverpool have lost four of the six Premier League matches he has started this season. Now they have six to go, with Champions League qualification on the line and no Ekitike. As Salah prepares to wave goodbye again, their hopes could rest on Isak salvaging something from his car crash of a season – or on Slot knowing when not to pick him.
