Burnley 0-1 Liverpool (Salah 90+5)
No Premier League player since the start of last season has started more times than Mohamed Salah. An already impressive record made all the more breathtaking when you consider he turned 33 in June and plays in the league where the elite have the most unforgiving of schedules.
Salah is superhuman. That is nothing new. His body is the most pristine temple, with abs that defy human biology. He could play four times a week if need be and probably still not break sweat.
The issue is that even a player with Salah’s otherworldly stats is going to suffer from bouts of poor form, or occasions for which he struggles to motivate himself. But while others in this revamped Liverpool strike juggernaut are changeable, Salah is not for moving, given the status he holds as the club’s top earner and God-like aura he exudes around Merseyside.
Once again, when it really mattered, Salah came up with the goods from the penalty spot in stoppage time to earn Liverpool a thoroughly undeserved victory at Burnley. But that does not tell the full story of yet another anonymous showing from the Egyptian King in a season which is still lying flat out on a Mykonos beach.
"It's so cruel isn't it"
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 14, 2025
Micah Richards says a draw would have been a fair result for Burnleypic.twitter.com/tySFgpzgle
Salah always struggles against Burnley, having scored only once against the Clarets in his Liverpool career prior to Sunday’s clash. He was not helped by a swirling Lancashire wind off Pendle Hill.
He is rarely, however, this quiet. He didn’t win a single duel all match, didn’t complete a single dribble, created one opportunity and did not muster a shot at goal until his winning penalty.
And it is not the first time he has been so underwhelming since the Premier League restart. It is understandable at 33, but how long can he continue to get away with it and rely on his elevated status as a Premier League and Red icon?
Like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, Salah never misses out, unless rested. He is never substituted. You don’t beg a generational talent to stay twice and then leave him out.
In any other team, Salah’s position would be watertight, completely untouchable. But Liverpool have had an all-timer of a transfer window, broke the British record twice to bring in two of the best forwards in the world.
Leaving Salah in there week in, week out when he remains this ineffective, could prove costly come May – even if it may seem unlikely at this stage.
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“I’ve thought about almost every substitution you can make,” Slot said when asked whether he would take Salah off.
“But in the end you always come back to the fact that I don’t want to leave this stadium with a draw.
“With taking Mo off, if you need a goal, you leave him out there. It will probably happen this season or maybe next season, but it probably won’t happen a lot.”
The fact Slot had to add that last sentence exemplifies the impossible situation he is in. And, in truth, it is not a decision he needs to make at this stage. Liverpool, more by crook than hook, are still top of the table, having won all four of their matches thus far.
Alexander Isak’s return to full fitness will give Slot one of the most luxurious of dilemmas in Premier League history. If Salah’s form continues at this limp rate, the Liverpool boss may have to do the unthinkable, for the greater good.
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