‘Is this the start of Liverpool’s life without Salah?’

Following a 2-0 win at West Ham, Mohamed Salah has a history at the London Stadium, which may have been the beginning of Liverpool’s transition to the next generation.

Jurgen Klopp’s replacement Jurgen Klopp made the decision to bench the 33-year-old for a Premier League game for the first time since April 2024, which was also at West Ham.

That day saw Salah firmly in the spotlight before it ended.

First when he and Klopp got into a touchline argument as West Ham scored when the notoriously reserved forward waited to start as a substitute in a 2-2 draw, and then when he later announced: “If I speak, there will be fire.

Salah’s magnificent Anfield career came to an end thanks to Slot’s choice, which had a wider significance than that of the great Egyptian.

Former England captain Wayne Rooney has publicly encouraged Slot to fire Salah following a string of subpar performances this year, not least of which.

The difficult part is how to replace such a top-notch talent, who ranks third overall in the club in all-time scoring behind Ian Rush and Roger Hunt.

Slot offered a potential solution here.

After a run of nine defeats in their last 12 games, including six of their own, the newly resurrected Liverpool finally saw the result that he and his team so desperately needed.

With Cody Gakpo on the left and Isak as the main striker, Dominik Szoboszlai was relieved of his right-back duties, where he is wasted, to patrol the right flank in attack.

The Dutchman scored with a thumping finish in stoppage time for their second, followed by Gakpo’s cross for Isak’s goal.

After conceding 10 goals in three games, Slot also made use of Joe Gomez at right-back, his first league start in 11 months, which strengthened Liverpool’s defense and kept Szoboszlai’s defense in good form.

Salah kept a watchful eye on the bench, who will soon be eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations.

Because of his uniqueness, Slot took pains to point out that the forward, who signed a new two-year contract last summer, “will have a very good future at this club.”

However, Salah has a chance of being cut out based on his current form.

According to Alan Shearer, “Slot made a big call, but I guess Liverpool’s results make it easier.” You have to make important decisions when things don’t go your way, which is a big one because of what he has done previously for Liverpool.

You must accept the decision when Salah hasn’t been playing well, and because of that, he can’t raise a complaint.

Salah shouldn’t, however, be dismissed as such. This game is risky.

Prior to this one, he had started 53 Premier League games consecutively, frequently giving the impression that he was trying to win the title from Liverpool last year, which came about as a result.

Salah started for Liverpool in 383 starts and has scored 250 goals in 419 appearances. Since joining AS Roma in the summer of 2017, he has made 188 goals and a 64% win rate in 300 league starts.

When Salah plays, Liverpool have won 263 games overall, or 63% of the total, in each competition.

Even though Slot would not be doing his job if he did not consider the possibility of Liverpool’s future beyond Salah, the victory at West Ham provided some clues.

If Slot returns to face Sunderland at Anfield on Wednesday, it will be intriguing to see if he does so.

Isak’s confidence will be put to the test by that snap half-volley to end a 310-minute league goal drought on his sixth appearance, having only scored against Southampton in the Carabao Cup back in September.

When the 22-year-old German playmaker arrived at Liverpool while serving on a roving, roaming commission, Wirtz also displayed some indications of what all the fuss was about.

Isak stated on BBC Sport’s Match of the Day, “I’ve been awaiting it and chasing this goal, sometimes it takes longer than you think, but I’m happy to score a goal and contribute to the victory.”

It’s never simple, they say. You need momentum as a striker. You may encounter these patches, but we hope that this will help you maintain your form. We did a great job of defense and scored twice, making it happy.

This was all about the win, which was only Liverpool’s second in the league since they defeated Everton 2-1 on September 20.