Mo Salah benched for second consecutive Premier League game for the first time in eight year Liverpool career

Arne Slot opted to leave the Egyptian on the bench for Liverpool's clash against West Ham United last Sunday.

Dominik Szoboszlai was brought in as a replacement and has been chosen ahead of his teammate again.

Liverpool's win over West Ham was the side's second in their last eight league fixtures.

Without their star man, it was Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo who made the score sheet in their 2-0 win over West Ham.

Now, Arne Slot and his side prepare to host Sunderland, who have surprised fans and pundits with their strong performances in the Premier League this season.

Liverpool sits in 8th place heading into the fixture, two places behind newly promoted Sunderland.

Following his initial decision to bench the golden boot winner, Slot said: "It is not a nice thing for him, not for a Liverpool fan and not for me."

"A player that has been so important for us, you want to see him on the pitch.

"I prefer to see Mo on the pitch, scoring goals, and doing something special rather than the camera being on him when he isn't in the game.

"He has been so important for us, for so many years, and he will be important for us in the coming days, because it is days as he goes to the Africa Cup of Nations."

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Fans responded to the news with mixed reactions.

One fan wrote: "Salah on the bench again. Hopefully that lights a fire."

Another added: "Can’t help but think not starting Salah is an issue."

A third said: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Salah has netted five goals and recorded three assists in 18 appearances for Liverpool this season.

The benching comes just days before the winger will join the Egyptian national team on December 15 to compete in the Africa Cup of Nations.

His form has declined significantly from the previous 2024-2025 season, where he won the Premier League Golden Boot and Playmaker awards with 29 goals and 18 assists.

The winger's average touches per game in the opposition's box have dropped from 9.6 last season to 6.2 this season.

He is averaging fewer than half the number of dribbles attempted per game than in the last campaign.

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