Mohamed Salah's Liverpool absence extended following Egypt's progression in the Africa Cup of Nations
Salah on target as Pharaohs advance
Salah confirmed the win in the final moments of the match for Egypt, who now head to the last-eight after a hard fought battle which went into extra time to decide the winner. Egypt initially led in the 69th minute with a superb long-range strike from Marwan Attia, who met a cutback at the edge of the area. However, Benin's Jodel Dossou scored a late equaliser in the 83rd minute, forcing the match into an additional 30 minutes.
In the first half of extra time, defender Yasser Ibrahim restored Egypt's lead with a powerful header in the 97th minute. Salah, who was closely marked throughout the game, then capitalised on a counter-attack in the dying seconds of the match to clinically finish from a distance, scoring his 10th AFCON goal and securing the 3-1 victory for Egypt, who will now face either the Ivory Coast or Burkina Faso in the quarter final.
Liverpool continue to falter in Mo's absence
Salah has already missed several key Liverpool matches due to his participation in the AFCON tournament being held in Morocco. Salah departed for international duty in mid-December and was absent for the away league clash with Tottenham, which the Reds won 2-1. Following this, he was missing for the home game against Wolves, which also finished 2-1. Liverpool then hosted Leeds on New Year's Day, a drab draw which finished goalless. Salah also missed the recent 2-2 draw with Fulham.
His continued absence is set to see him miss further important games against high-flying Arsenal, Barnsley in the FA Cup, and Burnley, depending on how far Egypt progresses in the competition, potentially extending his total missed games to seven.
Salah says sorry after outburst
Salah apologized to his Liverpool team-mates for his "explosive" interview last month where he publicly criticised the club and manager Arne Slot, claiming that he had been "thrown under the bus" for the club's poor form. The forward had made headlines after a 3-3 draw at Leeds, which was his third consecutive game on the bench, also stating he no longer had a relationship with Slot.
The apology was brief, with team-mate Curtis Jones revealing Salah said: "If I've affected anybody or made you feel any sort of way, I apologize". Jones stressed the comments did not cause a lasting rift, with the squad understanding Salah's winning mentality and remaining united. Slot also later stated that the matter was resolved, saying "actions speak louder than words" and that the team had moved on.
Liverpool injuries pile up
Liverpool are facing a significant injury crisis, particularly in the forward positions, so Salah's extended absence is being felt more keenly than boss Slot would have expected. Key striker Alexander Isak is out for several months after undergoing surgery on a fractured fibula and ankle injury sustained in the process of scoring against Tottenham last month. Fellow forward Hugo Ekitike is also sidelined with a hamstring issue, which came amid an increased workload following Isak's injury.
Speaking to reporters this week, Slot said: "Isak has been out for a few weeks now, which has meant that Hugo had to play more minutes than he did throughout the whole season. That has led to the fact that he picked up a slight hamstring injury because he had to play more and more minutes.
"For a player that is his age and is not used to the Premier League completely, that has been a bit too much. That's why he will be out for today and hopefully be back for the Arsenal game. But that's definitely not sure yet."
