Slot 'not surprised' by Salah's impact after Liverpool star returns in style
Liverpool boss Arne Slot praised Mohamed Salah's impact off the bench after the Egyptian returned to the fold in a 2-0 win over Brighton.
Arne Slot was not surprised in the slightest after Mohamed Salah made a big impact from the bench in Liverpool's 2-0 win over Brighton on Saturday.
Salah was left out of the matchday squad against Inter in midweek after declaring that he had been "thrown under the bus" by Liverpool in comments made after a 3-3 draw with Leeds United.
That game at Elland Road saw Salah start on the bench for the third straight game.
And though that became four as he was again named among the substitutes at Anfield against Brighton, Salah came on midway through the first half, replacing the injured Joe Gomez.
Salah made a telling impact as Hugo Ekitike headed home from his corner, with the Frenchman already having scored his first of the afternoon inside the opening minute.
“It was an easy decision to put him in the squad," Slot told BBC Sport when asked about Salah returning to the fold.
"I’ve said many times before what’s said between the two of us, for me that stays between the two of us.
"He was back in the squad and we needed him."
After that assist, Salah now has the all-time Premier League record for most goal involvements at a single club, with 277, overtaking Wayne Rooney's tally of 276.
The 33-year-old has scored 188 goals and produced 89 assists for Liverpool in the competition since joining in the summer of 2017.
Slot said: "I think [Salah's] first touch was almost an assist for [Alexis] Mac Allister.
"He was constantly involved in the threat we had.
"It was pleasing to see but also not a surprise because he’s done that many times in a Liverpool shirt."
Salah produced five chances in total, including his assist for Ekitike, who made it four goals in the space of two league games.
He became the youngest Liverpool player to score two or more goals in successive league appearances since Michael Owen in May 2001.
"I think he was in moments impressive today," Slot said of Ekitike.
"The goals he scored were good goals and there were other moments I thought 'wow'.
"That is of course why we wanted him, apart from the goals.
"It is good to see he and others who came in the summer are making progress."
Despite a difficult season, Slot's team are now unbeaten in four league matches and are up to sixth.
The Dutchman believes his side benefited from a slice of good fortune that has alluded them at some stages of the campaign.
He said: "We had to work really hard for this win because we faced a very good team that kept going to the end.
"For the first time in weeks, I feel like we had a bit of luck today.
"We have a clean sheet and in other games we have conceded three without the other team having as many chances."
