Hugo Ekitike reveals Liverpool dressing room view on Mo Salah controversy

Hugo Ekitike has hailed Mohamed Salah as a “great professional” after he returned to the Liverpool team on Saturday, Felix Keith reports for The Mirror.

Salah was introduced as an early substitute against Brighton, a day after holding talks with Arne Slot following a falling out between the two over his explosive comments last weekend.

Salah made his comeback with Liverpool during their 2-0 win over Brighton on Saturday and Hugo Ekitike benefited from an assist from his team-mate at Anfield.

Having been an unused substitute in the 3-3 draw at Leeds, Salah unloaded to reporters, accusing Slot of throwing him under the bus, while saying he no longer had any relationship with the Liverpool manager. He was subsequently left out of the squad that went to play Inter Milan on Tuesday, but was brought back for the Brighton game.

An injury to Joe Gomez saw Slot turn to Salah in the 26th minute and he responded with an assist in a 2-0 win. It was Ekitike who benefited from his pinpoint corner, having already put Liverpool ahead in the first minute.

And the Frenchman was clear in his assessment of his team-mate post-match. “Mohamed is a great, great professional,” he said. “I look to him as an example. You can see how much he is involved in goals and assists.

“He is a legend here. To share the pitch is a blessing. That’s the kind of player who makes us like to watch football.”

Ektike was unmarked at the back post to head in his second of the game in the 60th minute. It was Salah who swung in that corner and Ekitike added: “He gave me a great ball, I just had to be in a good place. It was easy to finish.

“I was looking for the hat-trick but it is going to be another time. It was good, two goals. We try to stick together and work together. Today wasn’t easy. We had to stay compact and stick together.

“I think we deserved it. We did a great week and let’s continue. When you play for Liverpool, you just have to win games. We are Liverpool, we need to win.”

Asked about Salah, Slot said: “I think he was a threat. The first ball he touched, he almost made an assist for [Alexis] Mac Allister. He was constantly involved in the fact we had Mo. Pleasing to see but not a surprise.

“It was an easy decision to put him in the squad. I have said many times before what has been said between us will stay between us. We needed him and he assisted for the 2-0 which is nice for us. We have been so many times this season on the wrong side of the set-piece battle.

“He goes to the AFCON and that means for us another player down. This is what we knew before the season started. Hopefully one or two players can come back from injury.”

Liverpool 2-0 Brighton: Ekitike gives Reds vital league win

Liverpool produced an improved overall performance to record a second league win in six, thanks to Hugo Ekitike‘s double, ‘This is Anfield’ reports.

Salah sub, Wirtz returns

Arne Slot made two changes from Milan in the week, Milos Kerkez replacing Andy Robertson and Florian Wirtz in for Alexander Isak.

Wirtz lined up on the left of a front three with Hugo Ekitike and Dominik Szoboszlai, as Slot changed shape again. Mac Allister pushed high in almost a No.10 role.

Mo Salah returned to the squad but had to accept a place on the bench for the fourth time in five games – injury to Joe Gomez midway through the half meant his return was sooner than expected.

Ekitike opens the scoring – Salah returns early!

It took just 46 seconds for Ekitike to fire home his sixth league goal of the season. The Frenchman finished emphatically after Joe Gomez had won the ball with a header on the edge of the box.

It was the Reds’ first goal in the first half of a league game in six matches.

A trademark Alisson save denied Brighton‘s Gomez and kept the lead for the hosts, while a marauding run down the right from Liverpool’s Gomez set up Ekitike but his shot blazed over.

Injury to Gomez midway through the half meant a reintroduction for Salah, with Szoboszlai dropping to right back. There was applause and a chant for the returning Egyptian.

A nice move involving Ekitike down the left, then Salah and Szoboszlai, ended with Wirtz setting up Ekitike but he steered his shot wide.

The Reds were looking much better than recently, pressing well and more fluid in attack.

Half time: Liverpool 1-0 Brighton.

Ekitike doubles for vital win

Ekitike had another chance soon after the break, while Gomez had another good opportunity for Brighton which he should have scored.

The extremely lively Ekitike was then involved in two more chances, putting one over the bar and then breaking for a move which that ended with a Salah shot that was saved.

From the resulting corner, Ekitike headed in from Salah’s corner. Seven shots – two on target, two goals for the Reds’ No.22.

The assist from Salah meant he now has more Premier League goal involvements for Liverpool than any other player has for a single team in the league’s history.

Ekitike seemed to be struggling with an injury and was replaced by Isak, while Andy Robertson replaced Wirtz.

Federico Chiesa replaced Szoboszlai, who had been struggling also with a knock from earlier in the half. Jones dropped to right back.

Soon after, Mac Allister was injured but Liverpool had used all their sub slots, forcing them to play the Argentine for the final minutes despite clearly struggling.

Salah had an opportunity, a good one, in stoppage time, but couldn’t keep his shot down in front of the Kop.

A hard fought win, a vital three points and a first Anfield league win since the start of November.

Hopefully the injury situation has improved by the time the Reds face Tottenham next weekend.

TIA Man of the Match: Hugo Ekitike.

Brighton: Verbruggen; Wieffer, Van Hecke, Dunk, Kadioglu; Hinshelwood, Baleba; Minteh, Gruda, Gomez; Rutte

Subs: Steele, Veltman, De Cuyper, Boscagli, Kostoulas, Milner, Ayari, Mitoma, Welbeck

Referee: Craig Pawson

Next match: Tottenham (A) – Premier League – Saturday, December 20, 5.30pm

Cole Palmer scores first goal since September with calm finish after Malo Gusto assist

Cole Palmer rose to the top, to score his first goal since September with calm finish after Malo Gusto sent him through as Chelsea beat Everton 2-0 Saturday.

With injuries hampering Chelsea’s Premier League title chase, the Blues still found the wherewithal to deal with Everton’s menace at the Stamford.

It was a very dull opening 20 minutes, but from nowhere, the Blues found a bit of quality to open up Everton and take the lead, Super Frank writes for Chelsea News. Chelsea lead 1-0 at Stamford Bridge!

In reality it was a pretty simple goal – two straight passes cracked the Toffees team open. Wesley Fofana took the ball to the halfway line where he was able to play it into the feet of the inverting Malo Gusto.

Gusto then played another straight ball threaded between Everton full back and centre back to pick out Cole Palmer. The timing of the run and the pass were so perfect that it didn’t need to be anything special, just clever movement.

Palmer is only just back in the team and looked very rusty against Bournemouth last weekend, but his finish was anything but ice cool. It was the attacker at his very best, taking the ball in stride, stroking the ball past Jordan Pickford into the net and then celebrating a long awaited return to scoring form.

This is just what Chelsea needed to force Everton out of their deep block and hopefully open Everton up a little for Chelsea’s quick players to striker on the counter. Estevao Willian is lurking on the bench ready to pounce in the second half. Hopefully we get a little more Palmer magic before that change comes.

(Video): Malo Gusto bags Chelsea second as Blues strike just before half time

Chelsea have doubled their lead at Stamford Bridge just before half time.

It has been a pretty quiet game – in fact the opening goal for the Blues came from one of their very dangerous attacks. But just as Everton were starting to get forward and create chances of their own, Enzo Maresca’s men have struck with a deadly counter to add a second.

It was all about Pedro Neto. He was in his element on the right wing with space to attack. He dropped a stepover and showed a burst of speed to beat a defender, then got his head up to pick out Malo Gusto who was one of a couple of Chelsea attackers bursting into the box.

The right back, who had only scored his first goal in senior football a month ago, has now added a second. He also assisted Cole Palmer for the Blues’ opener.

The first goal created the space for this sort of follow up. Two goals to the good, we should now be able to manage the second half and can hopefully take off some of our more fatigued players. The likes of Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez desperately need a break – will Enzo Maresca risk it?

Gusto has had a great game even beyond his goal and assist, and can hopefully keep it up in the second half where Everton are sure to improve.

On the79th minute, another Chelsea opportunity to add a third as Gusto slides the ball through for Joao Pedro, who fires wide of the post with just Pickford to beat. That is Joao Pedro’s last action.

As Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca provides update

Cole Palmer has been dealing with a persistent groin injury this season and, while he is back available for Chelsea, the England star is still not fully fit and is battling pain, Felix Keith, reports for The Mirror.

Enzo Maresca has explained the extent of Cole Palmer’s persistent injury problems after he made his return for Chelsea vs Leeds. Palmer has been dogged by injuries this season, leaving him unable to build up any consistency.

The England play-maker has made just six appearances across all competitions this season and hasn’t managed to complete 90 minutes since September. He made his return from a groin injury in the 3-1 loss at Leeds on December 3 and played 58 minutes in the 0-0 draw with Bournemouth, but was left out of the travelling squad which lost 2-1 at Atalanta in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Maresca has revealed that Palmer is fit enough to be involved in Saturday’s home league game against Everton, but still can’t complete 90 minutes. “Yeah, he’s okay. He’s better,” he said in his pre-match press conference on Friday.

“He’s at the moment available. We have one more session this afternoon. Yesterday he finished the session with us with a mixed feeling, but overall he’s okay.”

But Maresca saying that Palmer’s pain was “completely bad” after playing around 30 minutes at Elland Road will worry Chelsea supporters, even if the Chelsea boss did rule out the possibility of surgery.

Asked if he will have to play through the pain for the rest of the season, Maresca said: “Hopefully not. But it’s something that is a little bit day by day.

“You can see he’s getting better, [then] some days it can be worse. For instance, after Leeds, he was completely bad, the day after. And he played [only] half an hour. After Bournemouth, he was OK. He played one hour. There’s not any sense [to it]. It’s day by day that decides how he feels.”

Palmer’s absence was extended by a freak toe injury sustained at home during his time on the sidelines. And his lack of game time will be a concern with the World Cup looming in the summer.

England boss Thomas Tuchel has made it clear he will only select players who are featuring regularly at club level. It means some big names could miss out on the 26-man squad for Canada, the United States and Mexico.

Palmer has only managed to play 65 minutes of a friendly against Andorra since Tuchel took over the job. He is also competing for a place in a position where Tuchel is well-stocked, with Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze among the No.10s at his disposal.

Maresca, meanwhile, is desperate for a win against Everton following a poor run of results for Chelsea, who have gone four games without taking three points since beating Barcelona on November 25.

“Yeah, it’s the next step for us,” Maresca said when asked about consistency. “I think during the season, the teams that are more consistent at the end, they are the teams that are going to be there.

“What do we need to avoid that? Probably with what happened last year, now again it’s just one week, it’s not a long time. But for sure when something happens, the next one you are more ready, more prepared, and you can avoid that.”

Starting XI confirmed Team News and Predicted Lineup

Poor form continues to rock Liverpool Premier League ambition ambitions even as manager Arne Slot remains firm in his decision to keep petulant forward Mohammed Salah off his starting lineup.

Liverpool v Brighton, Salah talks ease tension before Anfield return

Salah is poised to rejoin the Liverpool squad for the visit of Brighton after constructive discussions with Arne Slot on Friday, Chloe Williams reports for Anfield Index. The forward had been absent for the midweek Champions League win over Inter Milan, a decision taken in the aftermath of his extraordinary outburst following the dramatic 3-3 draw with Leeds. That omission sharpened the focus on a relationship under strain, even as Liverpool continue to navigate a demanding winter schedule.

Salah recall brings focus and uncertainty

Salah had again been left as an unused substitute at Elland Road, then spoke to reporters afterwards, claiming he had been made a scapegoat for Liverpool’s uneven form and that he had been “thrown under the bus”. Slot declined to confirm at his pre match press conference whether the Egyptian would be involved against Brighton, stressing that further dialogue was required. Those talks have since proved positive, with Salah now expected to be named in the Anfield squad, offering supporters at least a temporary farewell before heading to Morocco for the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt. His longer term future remains unclear, adding intrigue to a fixture that already carries weight.

Selection puzzles sharpen against Brighton

A place on the bench may await Salah on his recall. Slot has leaned towards a partnership of Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, particularly with Cody Gakpo sidelined by a muscle injury. Isak did pick up a knock in the first half against Inter, and Slot suggested he may not be able to start against Brighton, though completing 68 minutes at the San Siro points to a minor issue rather than a significant concern.

Florian Wirtz, who won the decisive penalty from the bench in Italy, is pressing for a return to the starting XI. The German could replace Curtis Jones in a diamond midfield alongside Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, a configuration designed to control tempo and supply the forwards.

Defensive decisions shape Liverpool approach

At left back, Slot faces a meaningful call, with the more attack minded Milos Kerkez pushing for selection ahead of Andy Robertson. On the opposite flank, Jeremie Frimpong is edging closer to a comeback after six weeks out with a hamstring injury, but caution is likely, leaving Joe Gomez to continue at right back as Conor Bradley serves a suspension.

Availability update and match details

Federico Chiesa has recovered from illness and is available, while Wataru Endo faces weeks on the sidelines with an ankle problem. Giovanni Leoni remains a long term absentee. The stage is set for Liverpool against Brighton at Anfield, a 3pm GMT kick off on Saturday December 13, 2025, where selection, diplomacy and momentum intersect once more.

Bryan Mbeumo sends cryptic Man United message amid AFCON uncertainty

Manchester United forward Bryan Mbeumo is one of three Reds players who are set to join up with their national sides for the Africa Cup of Nations next week, Amie Wilson, reports for Manchester Evening News.

Mbeumo has reacted to the strange situation regarding his departure for the Africa Cup of Nations, hinting that he is relaxed about it.

The forward is one of three United players, alongside Amad and Noussair Mazraoui, who will be leaving in the next few days to represent their nations in the tournament.

FIFA have set a cut-off date of December 15th for players to join their national teams. But that date falls on the same day as United’s Premier League home clash against Bournemouth.

There remains uncertainty over whether the United trio will be able to feature in the game on Monday night before jetting off to join their nations, with Ruben Amorim claiming he’s still unsure.

It seems that the uncertainty isn’t impacting the spirit of Mbeumo or Amad, though. On Friday night, the Cameroon international shared a picture taken by Amad of himself and Leny Yoro on his Instagram stories.

In the picture, Amad is pulling a funny face while Yoro is in the background. Mbeumo tagged both and added the caption: “No problem my boys” along with a sunglasses emoji.

He then shared a second picture, this time taken by Yoro, with Amad again pulling a face in the background.

While Mbeumo and Amad will be at the tournament, Frenchman Yoro will remain at United and hope to help the side climb up the table.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday, Ruben Amorim confirmed that there’s still uncertainty over the availability of Mbeumo, Amad and Mazraoui for the game against Bournemouth.

“We are waiting until the last moment to have all the players available to choose the best team to start the game,” he said. “I expect to have a decision today or maybe tomorrow.

“Every national team has their ideas about when they want the players. I don’t know if it’s going to be the same situation (with each player). It depends on the games.

“It’s frustrating but at the same time nobody knows who is going to play. So it’s a good thing, I think.

“We have players to cope with everything, and with a long week you can see a lot of things to prepare the game and any situation.”

Since signing in the summer transfer window, Mbeumo has established himself as a key player for Amorim. The 26-year-old has started every Premier League game so far this season, scoring six times.

It’s a similar situation for Amad, who is a regular starter at right-wing-back. Mazraoui has found it more difficult to establish himself this season, but has started the last two games as part of the back three.

Slot Upgrade: Liverpool Want to Hire ‘World-Class’ Premier League Manager

Liverpool ’emergency meeting’ today as interim manager ‘ready to step in’ to replace Arne Slot

There will reportedly be an ’emergency meeting’ at Liverpool today as they discuss Arne Slot’s future following the 3-3 draw against Leeds United, Lewis Oldham reports for Football 363.

Slot is under severe pressure as Liverpool. They have only won four of their last 15 matches in all competitions and have suffered nine defeats.

The Reds reached a new low last week as they deservedly lost 4-1 to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League group stages. Since then, they have only picked up five points from games against West Ham, Sunderland and Leeds United.

The manner of Liverpool’s performances in these games have been equally concerning, with Slot’s side giving up the lead twice to draw at Elland Road on Saturday evening.

Slot recently made the big and justified call to drop Mohamed Salah from his starting XI, and he has been an unused substitute in two of Liverpool’s previous three matches.

This has clearly angered Salah, who remarkably hit out at Slot following the stalemate against Leeds United.

Salah said: “I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season. Now I’m sitting on the bench and I don’t know why.

“It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame.

“I got a lot of promises in the summer and so far I am on the bench for three games, so I can’t say they kept the promise.

“I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager, and all of a sudden we don’t have any relationship. I don’t know why, but it seems to me that someone doesn’t want me at the club.”

Now, Slot is among the firm favourites to be the next Premier League manager sacked and a report from an insider on Twitter with a ‘team of five elite reporters’ claimed on Saturday night that there will be an ’emergency meeting’ at Liverpool on Sunday.

They also claimed that Salah has ‘not’ asked to leave, while club legend Steven Gerrard is ‘ready to step in’ as interim manager.

They said on X: Exclusive: @MoSalah has not asked to leave. Emergency meeting tomorrow. @LFC could make statement after tonight’s events.

‘Slot not involved in Salah saga. Edwards & Hughes want to maximize the sale of Salah. Gerrard ready to step in as temporary manager.’

They added: ‘John Heitinga is also on the shortlist alongside Steven Gerrard to become interim manager of @LFC if Arne Slot is sacked.’

Interestingly, Liverpool reporter James Wathland has indicated that captain Virgil van Dijk and other players have sided with Salah regarding Slot.

He revealed on X: ‘EXCLUSIVE: #LFC. The captain Virgil van Dijk and other key figures in the dressing room are on Mo Salah’s side. They want Arne Slot sacked.’