LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Mohamed Salah was left out of Liverpool's starting lineup by manager Arne Slot on Wednesday for the second straight Premier League match, in what could be a sign of the Egypt winger's fading status in his ninth season at the club.
Salah was named on the bench for the home game against Sunderland, only entering as a halftime substitute — and failing to score — in a 1-1 draw at Anfield.
On Sunday, the Egypt winger was an unused substitute in Liverpool's 2-0 win at West Ham. That marked the first time Salah hadn't started a league game under Slot, who took charge in the offseason of 2024 and won the title in his first season — chiefly thanks to Salah's league-high 29 goals.
Slot acknowledged Salah was unhappy at being dropped last weekend but that he “handled himself really well” and was a "top professional.”
That wasn't enough to regain his place in the team three days later, with Slot sticking with Dominic Szoboszlai on the right wing — seemingly because of his work off the ball.
“In the first half, we played Szoboszlai on the right to be defensively strong enough not to concede as much as we did in the last few weeks,” Slot said.
Liverpool has three matches — two in the Premier League and one in the Champions League — before Salah heads to the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt.
Slot refused to say whether Salah would come into the team for Liverpool's next match — at Leeds on Saturday.
“I have not given a thought to how we will play at the weekend against Leeds,” he said. "I have an idea who will start but I won’t say.”
Salah has scored four goals in the Premier League this season.
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Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, centre, and Dominik Szoboszlai warm up before the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Liverpool and PSV in Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah applauds after the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Liverpool and PSV in Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Real Madrid produced another late comeback in the Champions League as Federico Valverde struck in stoppage time to seal a 3-2 win over AEK Athens on Wednesday.
Liverpool, however, fell to a surprise 3-2 defeat at Fenerbahce on a dramatic night of action, while Manchester City battled to victory over RB Leipzig by the same score after twice blowing leads, and Como beat Lens 9-1.
Last season's runner-up Arsenal beat Slavia Prague 2-1.
Madrid joined back-to-back defending champion Paris Saint-Germain as the only other team to have a 100% winning record after four games played in this season's competition. But that perfect start was put under serious threat in Greece.
The record 15-time European champion twice went behind at Allwyn Arena and needed Valverde's long-range strike in the 92nd minute to seal victory.
"Of course, I prefer to win more comfortably, but these games in the final minutes — only we can win them,” Madrid coach Mourinho told broadcaster Movistar.
Madrid also needed a late rally to beat Roma 4-3 last month, scoring three goals in the last 10 minutes, including a 90th minute winner from Antonio Rudiger.
AEK led through Aboubakary Koita in the first half before Jude Bellingham leveled with a back heel.
Stavros Pilios put the home team 2-1 ahead in the 75th, but Kylian Mbappé equalized three minutes later.
Mbappé then hit the bar before Valverde's dramatic winner.
“The players have courage. I’m very lucky to have players of this quality. Very lucky,” Mourinho said.
Madrid is second in the standings, behind PSG on goal difference.
Liverpool twice blew the lead against Fenerbahce before losing for the first time in this season's Champions League.
Trey Nyoni and Alexander Isak gave the Merseyside club the lead in each half, with former Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood and Archie Brown leveling for Fenerbahce on each occasion.
Vedat Muriqi struck the winner in the 89th as Liverpool fell to back-to-back losses in all competitions following defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.
“The main reason I can find for why we lost this game is we conceded from three set pieces,” Liverpool coach Andoni Iraola said. “We knew it was one of the strengths of Fenerbahce. We concede from a free-kick, a corner and even from the long throw at the end. It’s frustration because it’s a difficult place to come here and play.”
Victory will have been particularly sweet for Fenerbahce interim coach, former Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt.
Erling Haaland came back to haunt Leipzig and drag City over the line after being pushed to the limit at Red Bull Arena.
The Norway striker has scored 13 goals against Leipzig and came up with the winner in the 78th after City twice failed to hold onto the lead.
First-half goals from Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres put Arsenal on course for victory at Slavia Prague and despite conceding in the 90th, the Premier League champion sealed a 2-1 win.
Tasos Douvikas scored a hat trick and Cesc Fabregas’ Como routed Lens 9-1 to make it three victories in four matches of its debut season in the competition.
Douvikas has scored in all four of Como’s matches.
Nico Paz also found the net and then instead of celebrating went and grabbed a T-shirt featuring an image of Jesús de Miguel, the Tenerife forward who died following an on-field collision with the opposing team’s goalkeeper.
Paz spent time in Tenerife’s youth system from 2014-16.
Napoli coach Massimiliano Allegri was in crisis following a 4-1 loss at Porto.
Gabriel Veiga, Jakub Kiwior and Samu Aghehowa scored in the second half for the hosts after Scott McTominay’s momentary equalizer.
It was Napoli’s third loss in four matches of the league phase; and the Partenopei are struggling in Serie A, too — having been beat 2-0 at Juventus on Sunday.
Porto has a perfect 10 wins in 10 matches to lead the Portuguese league but had lost its opening three matches in the Champions League.
Konstantinos Karetsas’ first goal for Borussia Dortmund gave the 1997 champion a 2-1 win over Real Betis.
The Greek winger entered for the injured Serhou Guirassy with 10 minutes of the first half remaining and was involved in the buildup after the break when Fábio Silva opened the scoring off the rebound from Álvaro Vallés’ save of Jobe Bellingham’s initial effort.
Aitor Ruibal equalized in the 67th to set off wild celebrations among the many visiting supporters.
Vallés pulled off a point-blank save to deny Bellingham an immediate response before he was finally beaten by Karetsas for what proved the winner in the 72nd.
It gave Dortmund three wins from four games.
James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
See AP’s full soccer coverage here
Fenerbahce's Archie Brown, center, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Fenerbahce and Liverpool in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Liverpool's Alexander Isak celebrates after scoring his side's second goalduring the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Fenerbahce and Liverpool in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
AEK Athens' Stavros Pilios celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between AEK Athens and Real Madrid in Athens, Greece, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe has a shot blocked during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between AEK Athens and Real Madrid in Athens, Greece, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Real Madrid players celebrate with Federico Valverde after he scored his side's third goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between AEK Athens and Real Madrid in Athens, Greece, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Manchester City's manager Enzo Maresca speakes during a team's press conference in Leipzig, Germany, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, ahead of the Champions League soccer match against RB Leipzig. (Robert Michael/dpa via AP)
Liverpool's manager Andoni Iraola smiles before the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Arsenal in Liverpool, England, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Racing de Santander and Real Madrid in Santander, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)
Real Madrid's head coach Jose Mourinho watches during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Racing de Santander and Real Madrid in Santander, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)
