Has Mohamed Salah Taken Criticism to Heart?

In Germany, Dominik Szoboszlai, Hugo Ekitike, and Florian Wirtz all delivered standout performances, while Jeremie Frimpong and Alexander Isak were forced off due to injury.

The only blemish on an otherwise impressive evening was Salah's visible frustration, still on the bench in the 74th minute. The winger continues to struggle to regain his best form this season.

The Egyptian King started on the bench for the second consecutive Champions League match. While not entirely unprecedented – Arne Slot, much like his predecessor, occasionally rests him for Premier League duties – the 33-year-old was quick to react on social media this time.

It is not new for Salah to show visible disappointment when he doesn't have the impact on the game he's accustomed to – the Egyptian international has clashed with Jürgen Klopp over this multiple times in the past.

What is unusual now, however, is that after his 28-minute cameo, during which he missed two clear-cut chances from 12 touches, he removed all Liverpool-related content from his social media accounts.

According to Global Hints, The 33-year-old has faced increasing criticism in recent weeks as Liverpool navigates an unexpected dip in form, a factor that may have contributed to Salah's recent social media activity.

After all, players like Darwin Nunez have previously had to disable comments due to fan backlash following missed opportunities.

One particular moment especially frustrated Liverpool fans: Florian Wirtz was perfectly positioned, awaiting Salah's pass, which would have presented the German with his first goal for the club on a silver platter. Instead, the Egyptian international opted for a shot, a decision that encapsulated his recent performances.

Another possibility is that Salah is simply consumed by his current goal drought and needs to remind himself of the old adage: form is temporary, class is permanent.

Just last season, he broke the Premier League record for goal contributions in a single campaign: with 29 goals and 18 assists, he became the first player to win the league title, the Golden Boot, the Playmaker Award, and the Player of the Year award in one season.

Salah, one of the club's greatest ever players, has hardly lost his magic overnight. As before, he will be determined to return to scoring and assisting, starting with the Reds' away match against Brentford on Saturday evening – though it remains to be seen if the manager will immediately reinstate him into the starting lineup.