Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has once again found himself linked to an unwelcome record at Anfield. In the English Premier League, Liverpool have lost seven of the last eight matches in which the Egyptian star started, marking one of the club’s most disappointing runs since 2012.
Despite maintaining his personal form and consistently performing on the pitch, Salah has not achieved major success in recent weeks. At the Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt failed to reach the final, leaving the striker with another missed opportunity to shine on the continental stage. He returned to Liverpool last week following the conclusion of the tournament.
Salah featured in the starting XI in Liverpool’s 3–0 Champions League victory over Marseille, and he retained his place for the subsequent Premier League fixture against Bournemouth. Unfortunately, Liverpool suffered a 3–2 defeat, extending the club’s troubling streak when Salah starts matches.
Historically, such a slump has only been witnessed once before in Liverpool’s modern era. During Kenny Dalglish’s final season under manager Dirk Kuyt in 2012, the Reds experienced a similar run from February to May, regularly dropping points when the same starting lineup was deployed.
A closer look at Salah’s starting XI results this season illustrates the extent of Liverpool’s difficulties:
| Date | Opponent | Result | Salah’s Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-11-03 | Crystal Palace | Lost 1–2 | Started |
| 2025-11-10 | Chelsea | Lost 0–3 | Started |
| 2025-11-17 | Manchester United | Lost 2–4 | Started |
| 2025-11-24 | Brentford | Lost 1–2 | Started |
| 2025-12-01 | Manchester City | Lost 0–2 | Started |
| 2025-12-08 | Nottingham Forest | Lost 1–3 | Started |
| 2025-12-15 | Bournemouth | Lost 2–3 | Started |
| 2025-12-22 | Aston Villa | Won 2–0 | Scored, Started |
The only victory in this stretch came against Aston Villa, where Salah also scored his most recent league goal.
Reflecting on the 2012 slump, Liverpool finished eighth in the league, and the club parted ways with Dirk Kuyt at the season’s close. A repeat of such a decline is a cautionary signal for the Reds’ management and fans alike.
Currently, Liverpool sit sixth in the Premier League table, having accumulated 36 points from 23 matches. They trail league leaders Arsenal by 14 points and remain behind second-placed Manchester City. Given the current form and point gap, Liverpool’s prospects for climbing higher this season are limited, and the team faces an uphill battle to regain consistency.
Salah’s individual brilliance continues to shine, but as the statistics indicate, Liverpool’s collective struggles when he starts have created one of the club’s most awkward records in over a decade.