Mohamed Salah will be out of sight but not out of mind over the next few weeks while Manchester City are showing ominous signs that they are finding top gear in the Premier League.
Pep Guardiola’s men are two points behind leaders Arsenal after both teams won their weekend fixtures in contrasting styles.
Unai Emery’s Aston Villa are third, just three points behind the Gunners after a 10th win in 11 games.
AFP Sport looks at three talking points from the weekend’s action:
Salah uncertainty
It is difficult to read the Salah situation after he reappeared as a first-half substitute for Liverpool in Saturday’s 2-0 win against Brighton.
The 33-year-old Egypt forward last week accused the faltering Premier League champions of throwing him “under the bus” after he was left on the bench for the 3-3 draw at Leeds — the third match in a row he had not started.
He was omitted from Liverpool’s squad that travelled to Inter Milan in midweek, and it was a surprise to see him back in the fold against Brighton.
After the match, manager Arne Slot said there was “no issue to resolve” with the forward, whose corner was headed in by Hugo Ekitike for his second goal.
But there has been no apology from Salah, at least in public, and it seems unlikely that the saga is over, with the winger now heading to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy said the situation had not been fully resolved.
“I think that short-term resolution was a surprise to everyone,” he said. “But it makes sense the more you think about it, because the club’s the most important and now it’s going to stop for a while.”
Arsenal:Luck of champions?
Arsenal got away with it against bottom-club Wolves on Saturday — escaping with a 2-1 win after two own goals.
The Gunners dominated possession but mustered just two shots on target in a toothless display that drew the ire of manager Mikel Arteta.
“We knew it would not be an easy game, but we made it even harder and more difficult with what we did, and the manner that we conceded the goal, and that is unacceptable,” he said.
Arsenal remain favourites to end their two-decade wait for a Premier League title but dropping points at Wolves would have been disastrous, with Manchester City on the charge.
Former Gunners defender Martin Keown said “lucky” Arsenal were back.
“If you want to be champions, you have to be lucky,” he told TNT Sports. “Any team I’ve been successful in has been lucky at some point, and Arsenal can breathe a sigh of relief.”
He added that it was difficult to underestimate the importance of the victory.
“I think the whole title is on this game because the commotion around, the noise around, there’s a lot of feeling.”
City show their teeth
Guardiola’s touchline confrontation with Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner at Selhurst Park laid bare his frustrations as his side struggled to kill off their enterprising opponents.
City were leading after a header from arch-predator Erling Haaland but Glasner’s astute tactics made it tough for his title-chasing opponents.
Fortunately for Guardiola, his expensive and extensive City overhaul since January shows signs of revitalising a side that slumped to a shock 1-0 defeat in their previous meeting with Palace in the FA Cup final in May.
City were forced to dig deep to keep Palace at bay on Sunday, displaying the character and tenacity that eluded them when they surrendered the title to Liverpool last season.
Phil Foden scored a priceless second goal before Haaland struck again from the penalty spot in the closing minutes to make it 3-0 as City notched a fourth straight win in the Premier League.
The hectic Christmas period will provide further tests of City’s new-found steel.
