Mohamed Salah matches Liverpool cult hero's unwanted record after suffering defeat against Bournemouth

Salah’s reintegration into the Liverpool starting XI was supposed to provide the spark Arne Slot needed to reignite a stuttering title defence. Instead, it has highlighted a worrying trend that suggests the Egyptian King’s presence is no longer the guarantee of points it once was. Following his return from international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations, Salah was thrust back into the lineup for Saturday’s clash against Bournemouth, only to witness his side fall to a 3-2 defeat.

That result has pushed Salah into the record books for all the wrong reasons. The loss means the forward has now been on the losing side in seven of his last eight starts in the Premier League. It is a staggering statistic for a player who has defined an era of relentless winning under the previous regime and the early days of Slot’s tenure. Rather than being the catalyst for a revival, Salah has found himself as the common denominator in a run of form that has seen Liverpool slip out of the top four and effectively surrender their crown.

The last time a Liverpool player endured such a barren run of results when starting matches was nearly 14 years ago, during the twilight of another Anfield favourite’s career. Salah has matched the unwanted landmark set by Dirk Kuyt between February and May 2012.

Kuyt, the tireless Dutch workhorse who became a cult hero on the Kop for his big-game goals, suffered this fate during his final eight appearances for the club. That period, under Kenny Dalglish, saw Liverpool win the League Cup but capitulate in the league, eventually finishing in eighth place. For Salah to be mentioned in the same breath as that struggling 2012 side is a stark indicator of how far standards have slipped in recent months. While Kuyt was winding down his time on Merseyside, fans will be desperate to ensure that this statistic does not signal a similar end-of-era decline for their current talisman.

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The statistic is particularly damning when viewed through the prism of the open warfare that has engulfed Anfield in recent months. Salah’s return was supposed to mark a tentative truce following an explosive public fallout with head coach Slot in December.

The relationship between the club’s highest earner and his manager reached a breaking point just before the Africa Cup of Nations, when Salah gave an incendiary interview claiming he had "no relationship" with the Dutchman after being benched for three consecutive matches. The forward accused the club of "throwing him under the bus" during a dismal winter run where he felt scapegoated for the team's collective failings.

While Salah was reintegrated for the midweek Champions League victory over Marseille, the weekend’s defeat to Bournemouth has immediately reopened old wounds. The result leaves Liverpool with just five wins from their last 18 Premier League outings - a wretched sequence that has seen their title defence evaporate and their grip on a top-four finish slip away. 

For head coach Slot, this statistic presents a significant headache. The Dutchman is currently navigating a defensive injury crisis, with the likes of Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni out long-term, but he now faces questions regarding his attack. Salah remains one of the world's finest finishers, yet the team’s collective balance appears to be off when he starts, leading to defensive fragility that opponents are ruthlessly exploiting.

Now sixth in the table and two points behind the top four, Slot needs to find a solution to the Salah issue ahead of their next Premier League game against Newcastle.