Arne Slot has provided brief updates on Dominik Szoboszlai and Joe Gomez‘s fitness, while commenting that Hugo Ekitike “couldn’t walk any more.”

Gomez was forced off after just 25 minutes against Brighton as the defender suffered a muscle injury.

After the match, Slot told Liverpoolfc.com: “If I have a player who goes off with a muscle injury like Joe, that’s normally not a positive thing.

“I would not expect him to be in the squad next week [at Tottenham], but sometimes you get a positive surprise.

“People now maybe understand a bit better why I was always so cautious not to play him so many games. I assume many people thought, ‘If you have a defender, if you have a right full-back, why don’t you play him?'”

Szoboszlai was another to come out of the game with an issue, appearing to go over on his ankle before coming off in the 83rd minute.

“It was his ankle,” said Slot. “It didn’t look great when I just saw him, but he has unbelievable mentality so let’s hope for the best.”

Additionally, the head coach confirmed Jeremie Frimpong would be back in training next week after nearly two months out with a hamstring injury.

Hugo Ekitike “couldn’t walk anymore”

Slot deployed Ekitike up front at Anfield and, for the second Premier League in a row, the 23-year-old scored twice.

He looked spritely and was a constant danger, but he came off in the 78th minute as Alexander Isak replaced him up front.

After the match, Slot explained: “I think just before I took him off, there was a moment. I don’t know what happened but I think he hardly couldn’t walk anymore because of cramp.”

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As a general rule, players ideally shouldn’t be getting cramp with 10 minutes to play in the winter time.

However, it wasn’t the first time the Reds have had cramp-related problems this season, with Milos Kerkez also going down for treatment late on against Brighton.

“What I see with him and I see this with all the players we brought in this summer, they have to adapt to the Premier League to that intensity,” Slot said.

“All the players we brought in are young players except for Alex (Isak) maybe, but all the others are very young.

“So adapting to the Premier League at that intensity – some of them had not to adapt to the Premier League but to Premier League and Champions League – and I see all of them making progress in that.

“So Hugo had cramp today, but I can assure you that he did probably twice as much as in a game in the beginning of the season when I had to take him off with cramp as well, and that is what this league brings.

“If you cannot be so intense for such a long time, it’s so hard to win a game of football because the best players [and] athletes in the world play in this league, and we are trying to prepare them more and more, better and better for that.

“And I can see the progress with most of our signings, I think almost all of them, maybe all of them.”

Due to Liverpool losing to Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup, they have no quarter-final tie this week and now have seven days until their next match, away at Tottenham on December 20.

Hopefully, the Reds should be fully recovered by then, with the return of Conor Bradley from suspension somewhat offsetting Gomez’s injury.

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Mo Salah had quite the reply for reporters hoping to have another word with the winger after last week’s explosive comments, plus a big grin as he disappeared down the tunnel.

Salah set off quite the chain of events when he seized the opportunity to speak to the press after being left as an unused substitute at Leeds, with claims of being thrown under the bus.

He was subsequently left out of the travelling squad at Inter before talks with Arne Slot led to his reintegration against Brighton, with the Egyptian playing 64 minutes as an early substitute.

This time, though, there would be no further comments to reporters as he left the stadium, instead a joke was shared as he passed the mixed zone inside the Anfield tunnel (video below).

? So, Mo, have you got 2 minutes? pic.twitter.com/KkO1jt4XY6

— Dominic King (@DominicKing_DM) December 13, 2025

With calls of “Mo” greeting him, Salah had a big smile as he walked by before delivering an iconic line as reporters sought more words from the Egyptian.

“Two weeks in a row? No,” he said knowingly.

A hum of laughter followed, and it is safe to say Salah has certainly learned his lesson from the previous week, with the good-natured reaction following on from Slot’s positive words.

Arne Slot says “no issue to resolve” with Salah

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Liverpool’s head coach was definitive in his post-match press conference, seeking to put a line through the Salah situation as he heads off to AFCON.

Asked if he was satisfied that all issues had been resolved, Slot replied: “There is no issue to resolve, for me he is now the same as any other player.

“You talk to your players if you are happy or unhappy with things, but there is nothing for me to talk about what happened after Leeds.”

• READ: Arne Slot on Mo Salah talks and future: “No issue to resolve”

With Salah’s applause at Anfield after the final whistle seeing fans question if it was his last game, Slot could not avoid a follow-up on whether he hopes the No. 11 will be back after the tournament.

“Yes. He’s a Liverpool player and when he’s there, I like to use him when we need him,” he said matter-of-factly.

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Arne Slot has sought to put a line through the Mohamed Salah situation at Liverpool by insisting there are no further issues to “resolve,” with the winger now like any other player.

Salah started against Brighton on the bench, the fifth game in a row he has not started, but got his opportunity quicker than expected after an injury to Joe Gomez.

The Egyptian performed admirably in his final game before he heads off for the Africa Cup of Nations, and Slot’s verdict is that the situation has been resolved.

In his press conference after the win, which saw Salah assist the second goal, he was asked if he was satisfied that all issues had been resolved.

Slot replied: “There is no issue to resolve, for me he is now same as any other player.

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“You talk to your players if you are happy or unhappy with things, but there is nothing for me to talk about what happened after Leeds.”

And as for whether he hopes Salah will be back after his time with Egypt, Slot was quick to say: “Yes. He’s a Liverpool player and when he’s there, I like to use him when we need him.

“Today he didn’t start, as he did a few times before now, but in the season before he started almost every game, but when he came on, he had a performance like you would want him to give.

“He was close to another assist, I think he was shocked to see Virgil next to him! He was a threat and that’s very important because if you play with your attackers you hope they are a threat.”

That was not all that was said about Salah, with Slot peppered with questions about his winger. And this is what he had to say.

Was it an easy decision to have Salah in the squad? What changed?

“I think the reason why he wasn’t in Milan was his interview,” Slot started. “And then the question is always, and everybody has a different opinion about that, should he be once, twice, three times, four times, four months, 12 years [out of the team].

“Every manager makes different decisions in that, but he wasn’t involved in the game against Milan and I spoke to him yesterday.

“As I usually never say anything about what we talk about, I’m not gonna make an exception now, but I think actions speak louder than what was said.

“He was in the squad again, and when I had to make my first substitution I brought him in, and he performed as I think every fan, including me, would like him to perform today.”

Was it Salah’s last Liverpool game? Is he coming back?

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“I think he wasn’t the only player who walked around the pitch thanking the fans because the fans deserved a thank you from us,” Slot replied in relation to Salah’s applause of Anfield.

“I think our players worked incredibly hard today to keep a clean sheet, and for the first time in weeks, maybe I should say months, we had a little bit of luck with that as well.

“Today we definitely conceded chances, but they didn’t go in.

“Mo’s going to go to AFCON now, I hope he’s going to do very well and, in the meantime, we have to play here without him with not that many players available at the moment.”

Has Mo indicated to you he wants to stay?

“I think you already know the answer to that – what has been said between the two of us stays between us,” he said.

“What you see is what you get to know; he was in the squad and my first substitution.

“All the things said in that conversation, I never speak about when I speak to Virgil or Mo, I never tell you what we talk about.”

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After talks with Arne Slot, Mohamed Salah is named on the bench for the visit of Brighton, in what is the Egyptian’s final match before AFCON.

There was plenty of will he or won’t he be involved when it came to Salah after his exclusion in midweek, but talks have resulted in a place in the squad.

With injuries and suspension to consider, Slot has seen his options depleted across each department and has made two changes for Saturday’s 3pm kickoff.

Alisson, for the fifth game in a row, starts in goal behind a back four with one change from midweek.

Milos Kerkez replaces Andy Robertson, Joe Gomez is retained for the suspended Conor Bradley and starts alongside Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.

Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones and Alexis Mac Allister all start for the second game in a row.

Florian Wirtz, meanwhile, returns to the XI after a cameo last time out, with Dominik Szoboszlai and Hugo Ekitike retained.

Liverpool: Alisson; Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Jones, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Ekitike

Substitutes: Mamardashvili, Woodman, Lucky, Robertson, Ramsay, Chiesa, Ngumoha, Salah, Isak

How to Watch Liverpool vs. Brighton in the UK

Liverpool vs. Brighton is not being broadcast live in the UK, but you can keep up to date with events at Anfield through This Is Anfield’s liveblog.

Live audio commentary of Liverpool vs. Brighton and a full match replay and highlights will also be available on All Red Video here.

This Is Anfield will also be providing live text commentary throughout on our website and full match reaction and analysis on the This Is Anfield app for iPhone and Android later.

Download free here.

You can follow all of this afternoon’s action and the whole of the 2025/26 season with us by downloading the This is Anfield app for iPhone and Android for free.

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Brighton are this weekend’s opponents for Liverpool as the Reds host Fabian Hurzeler’s side at Anfield. Here’s how to watch and stream live around the world.

While the sideshow of Mo Salah‘s future continues, Liverpool return to Anfield after a relieving 1-0 win over Inter Milan on Tuesday.

The Reds are currently level on points with Brighton and a win would temporarily take Arne Slot‘s side into the top six, six points behind leaders Arsenal.

With Liverpool’s match against Brighton not on UK television, here is how you can follow the game and watch around the world.

Check This Is Anfield for the latest team news ahead of the match.

You can also follow the game by downloading the This is Anfield app, including lineups, live coverage and all the reaction and analysis.

The match gets underway at 3pm (GMT) – or 10am in New York, 7am in Los Angeles, 2am (Sunday) in Sydney, 7pm in Dubai and 6pm in Nairobi.

How to Watch Liverpool vs. Brighton in the UK

Liverpool vs. Brighton is not being broadcast live in the UK, but you can keep up to date with events at Anfield through This Is Anfield’s liveblog.

Live audio commentary of Liverpool vs. Brighton and a full match replay and highlights will also be available on All Red Video here.

This Is Anfield will also be providing live text commentary throughout on our website and full match reaction and analysis on the This Is Anfield app for iPhone and Android later.

Download free here.

How to Watch Liverpool vs. Brighton in the US

Liverpool vs. Brighton is being shown live on NBCSN and Peacock in the US, which are available to live stream here.

Live audio commentary of Liverpool vs. Brighton and a full match replay and highlights will also be available on All Red Video here.

This Is Anfield will also be providing live text commentary throughout on our website and full match reaction and analysis on the This Is Anfield app for iPhone and Android later.

Download free here.

How to Watch Liverpool vs. Brighton in Canada

Liverpool vs. Brighton is being shown live on DAZN Canada, Fubo TV and Fubo Sports Network 3 in Canada which is available to live stream with Fubo TV here.

Live audio commentary of Liverpool vs. Brighton and a full match replay and highlights will also be available on All Red Video here.

This Is Anfield will also be providing live text commentary throughout on our website and full match reaction and analysis on the This Is Anfield app for iPhone and Android later.

Download free here.

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[embedded content] How to Watch Liverpool vs. Brighton worldwide

Live audio commentary of Liverpool vs. Nottingham Forest and a full match replay and highlights will be available on All Red Video here.

A full list of international coverage options for Liverpool vs. Brighton can be found here.

This Is Anfield will also be providing live text commentary throughout on our website and full match reaction and analysis on the This Is Anfield app for iPhone and Android later.

Download free here.

You can follow all of this afternoon’s action and the whole of the 2025/26 season with us by downloading the This is Anfield app for iPhone and Android for free.

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Mo Salah will be in the matchday squad against Brighton after talks with Arne Slot, who has admitted that he is “definitely not enjoying this situation.”

Salah and Slot held talks at the AXA Training Centre on Friday morning and a result of their discussion was that the winger would return to the squad on Saturday.

Talks were described as “positive,” but the situation is not entirely resolved ahead of Salah’s departure for the Africa Cup of Nations this weekend.

The fallout from Salah’s explosive comments has dominated headlines and speaking to the press after Friday’s open press conference, and before his talks with Salah, Slot admitted his dislike of the current situation.

“The biggest factor is [to] do the best for the team and for the club,” Slot told reporters, including the Liverpool Echo.

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“I haven’t said this before but I can say I am definitely not enjoying this situation. It’s not like I’m happy we are in this situation by far.

“We have won the league together and he has done so much for the club. Ideally you are not in a situation like this with your player.

“I am far from enjoying it but I have to make my line-ups doing what is best for the club and for the team, in my opinion.

“That’s not to say that I do so but it is about my opinion. To tell you that I like it, no, I don’t like it and I’m not enjoying it.

“If I can, and it is also good for the team and for the club, I would definitely prefer to [avoid a circus against Brighton] because I don’t think it’s in the interests of the team and the club that we keep having.

“And I don’t think it’s a circus for me, but if it is a circus that is not helpful for anyone. So you try to avoid it as long as you can, do what is best for the team.”

Slot will keep Salah reaction to himself

As for Slot’s reaction and how he felt, he said: “If I tell you what my reaction was and what I felt, it would not help us in the current situation.

“Everything I have done until now is doing what is in the best interest of the club and the team.

“I don’t think if I tell you what I felt or blah blah that it will help us in the situation.

“I can completely understand why you ask, as it is interesting to know, but what I’ve tried to do since I’ve been here and for this whole situation is doing what is best for the team and the club in this situation, as it is already challenging enough for us without this situation.”

He then added: “I can understand that is important for you and other people to know but I don’t think that helps us that I go into detail about everything that has happened or will happen.

“I think it is in everyone’s interest, or the interest of the club, that I keep as much detail as I can to myself as these details don’t help us calm the whole situation.”

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