Mohamed Salah was substituted into Liverpool's Premier League match against Brighton & Hove Albion in the 25th minute, replacing the injured Joe Gomez. This early substitution, which earned applause from the Anfield crowd, saw Dominik Szoboszlai shift from the right wing to right-back to accommodate Salah's return to the field. Liverpool was already leading 1-0 at the time of Salah's introduction, thanks to an early goal from Hugo Ekitike. Salah then contributed to Liverpool's second goal with an assist from a corner, helping to secure a 2-0 victory.
Salah's inclusion in the matchday squad followed his omission from the travelling party for the midweek match against Inter Milan, which came after a controversial interview. In that interview, Salah had stated he felt "thrown under the bus" by the club and that his relationship with Liverpool manager Arne Slot had deteriorated. However, sources indicated that Salah would be part of the squad for the Brighton game after discussions with Slot, a decision seen as beneficial for all involved.
The forward was set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations after the Brighton match, with his long-term future at Liverpool to be a topic of further discussion. There have been reports of interest from Saudi Arabia, and Salah himself had suggested the Brighton game could be his last for Liverpool before leaving to represent Egypt. Manager Arne Slot, however, expressed at a pre-match press conference that he had "no reasons not wanting him to stay."