Mo Salah has been confirmed as one of the three finalists for the Men’s Player of the Year award at the 2025 CAF Awards.
The Liverpool star made the final cut on Sunday after the original list of ten names was narrowed down to three. His year included a key role in Liverpool’s Premier League title win and strong performances for Egypt as they secured a place at the 2026 World Cup.
Mo Salah Named Finalist For 2025 CAF Men’s Player Of The Year
Mo Salah is joined on the final shortlist by PSG defender Achraf Hakimi and Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen.
CAF will announce the winner on Wednesday November 19 at the awards ceremony in Rabat, Morocco.
Liverpool’s difficult week ended with another setback as they fell to a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge, their third straight loss away from home in all competitions.
Arne Slot made five changes from the side that lost to Galatasaray, with Giorgi Mamardashvili handed his Premier League debut in goal due to Alisson’s injury.
Conor Bradley returned at right-back, Mohamed Salah came back into the XI, while Alexander Isak led the line. Florian Wirtz dropped to the bench again as last season’s midfield trio was restored.
The hosts, despite missing several key players, struck first when Moisés Caicedo unleashed a stunning 20-yard strike into the top corner in the 14th minute, the third game this week in which Liverpool have conceded the opening goal.
Liverpool had chances to respond before half-time. Cody Gakpo created an opening for Dominik Szoboszlai, who failed to finish, while Isak missed a golden headed chance from Salah’s brilliant outside-of-the-boot cross just before the break.
At half-time, Arne Slot shuffled his side again, switching Szoboszlai to right-back after Bradley was taken off on a yellow card, and later brought on Curtis Jones and Andy Robertson.
The Reds equalised just after the hour when Cody Gakpo poked home Salah’s low cross, with Isak involved in the build-up. At that stage, it looked as though Liverpool might push for a winner.
Instead, it was Chelsea who found the decisive goal late on. Estevão scored at the back post in the 95th minute, punishing Liverpool’s reshuffled defence and sealing a deserved win for the Blues.
The defeat leaves Liverpool second in the Premier League table but marks their third straight defeat on the road heading into the international break.
Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool’s record signing Florian Wirtz may need to be taken out of the firing line after the club’s back-to-back defeats.
Speaking on CBS’ UCL Today show following Tuesday night’s 1-0 loss to Galatasaray, the former Reds defender admitted the current team looks unbalanced.
“Right now I don’t think the balance of the team is right and the obvious one that stands out is Florian Wirtz,” Carragher said. “He’s just not at the races at all.
He’s a young boy coming into a new league, he has got plenty of time to go as a Liverpool player, but right now I think he needs to come out of the team.”
Jamie Carragher Calls For Big Decision On Wirtz After Defeat
Carragher, who made over 700 appearances for Liverpool, suggested Arne Slot may need to return to the more compact, high-energy system that won them the Premier League title last season.
“Liverpool went from a workmanlike team and have sprinkled a little bit of stardust in terms of the transfers brought in. They haven’t gained anything going forward but have lost a lot defensively.
“Liverpool should go back to what they were last season and then go from there — build some confidence, build some defensive solidity,” he added.
The Reds travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea on Saturday evening (October 4) looking to halt their mini-slump, with Slot now facing pressure to find a set-up that works and get Wirtz firing.
Liverpool suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray in Istanbul, with Victor Osimhen’s first-half penalty proving decisive.
The Reds had early chances to take the lead. Hugo Ekitike was put through on goal but failed to convert, and Cody Gakpo saw a goalbound effort cleared off the line. Virgil van Dijk and Konate also went close, but the breakthrough never came.
Galatasaray made their opportunity count when Osimhen converted a soft penalty after Dominik Szoboszlai was penalised for a foul inside the box. Liverpool also gave away a free-kick on the edge of the box in first-half stoppage time, but the hosts couldn’t extend their lead.
Galatasaray 1-0 Liverpool: Reds Fall To Early Penalty In Istanbul
Early in the second half, Osimhen was denied by Alisson on a one-on-one, but Liverpool’s goalkeeper then suffered a knee injury and had to be replaced by Giorgi Mamardashvili, making his Champions League debut.
A triple substitution saw Conor Bradley, Mohamed Salah, and Alexander Isak introduced, with Ekitike moving to the left wing and Szoboszlai shifting into midfield. That didn’t last long, though, as Ekitike picked up an injury and was replaced by Alexis Mac Allister, with Wirtz moving to the left wing.
Despite the changes, Liverpool struggled to create clear-cut chances. They did believe they had a penalty in the final minutes, but it was correctly overturned after a VAR review.
Two defeats in four days on the road continue a poor run for Liverpool, who have struggled in all 10 of their games so far this season.
Liverpool XI (Start): Alisson (Mamardashvili HT), Frimpong, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez, Gravenberch, Jones, Szoboszlai, Wirtz, Gakpo, Ekitike Subs Used: Mamardashvili, Isak, Mac Allister, Salah, Bradley
Arne Slot has explained why he left Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak on the bench for Liverpool’s Champions League meeting with Galatasaray in Istanbul on Tuesday night.
The Liverpool boss made four changes from the side that lost 2-1 to Crystal Palace at the weekend. Salah, Isak, Alexis Mac Allister and Conor Bradley all dropped to the bench, with Jeremie Frimpong, Hugo Ekitike, Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo coming into the starting XI.
Arne Slot confirmed before kick-off that Frimpong would start on the right wing in place of Salah, with Dominik Szoboszlai shifted to right-back.
“Jeremie is not playing as a right full-back, he is playing on the right wing,” Slot told Amazon Prime. “We have many games to play. In a few days there is another big game coming up.
“We have to utilise our squad. Utilising doesn’t always mean from the start. Players can come in as well. Many of our games, players have impacted the game coming off the bench.
“They were talking about the last time, Mo scored three coming off the bench against Rangers. And I know who the manager of Rangers was back then! That is my current assistant, Gio (Van Bronckhorst). But that is not the reason Mo is on the bench.
Arne Slot Explains Decision To Bench Salah And Isak For Galatasaray Game
“It is an example maybe of a luxury, of having other options.”
Slot also revealed that both Isak and Mac Allister are still being managed carefully after disrupted pre-seasons.
“It takes a bit of time for Isak,” he added. “He plays an hour, half an hour. Everyone who plays football knows the more you play together, the better it goes.
“Normally very good players need less time to adapt. If you look at our full-back position, both of them are new.
“Up front we go in and out with Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike. And in midfield we’ve made some changes because Mac Allister had a very poor pre-season — poor in terms of missing out on a lot of training time.
“If you then play every three days, you can’t expect Alexander or Mac Allister to be available for 90 minutes every three days.
“Alexander Isak didn’t train in pre-season. Mac Allister missed a lot of pre-season. Conor Bradley missed a lot of pre-season. Milos Kerkez is not used, at Bournemouth, to playing three times a week.
“These are all extra ingredients why we sometimes have to rotate a bit. And sometimes it’s also because we think we have players who can play games this.”
Liverpool’s U19s earned their first UEFA Youth League win of the season with a 2-0 victory over Galatasaray in Istanbul.
Kareem Ahmed opened the scoring after just 58 seconds, finishing neatly after a high press won the ball near the box. Josh Sonni-Lambie added the second in the 20th minute, scoring from his own rebound after his header was saved.
The Reds hit the post twice and forced several saves from Enes Buyuk, while Bailey Hall made key stops at the other end. Galatasaray’s Yasin Kasal was sent off late for a high challenge on Tyler Martin.
Hugo Ekitike admitted his red card “was not smart” as he spoke about missing Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace.
The suspension followed two careless yellow cards in the Carabao Cup, which meant Ekitike was unavailable for the Premier League match against Crystal Palace. Arne Slot called the incident “needless” and “stupid,” highlighting how Ekitike lost control of his emotions after throwing the ball away and removing his shirt while celebrating.
Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League game against Galatasaray, Ekitike apologised again to his teammates.
“I think that was not smart,” he said. “I felt a bit disappointed to watch the boys from home on Saturday, but I apologised to everyone already, to all my teammates. That kind of thing won’t happen again, so I move on and I’m looking forward to playing and focusing on football.”
‘Not Smart’ – Hugo Ekitike reflects on Southampton red card
The 23-year-old is expected to start against Galatasaray in place of Alexander Isak, who featured for 84 minutes at the weekend, his longest game time since the end of last season.
On the possibility of partnering with Isak, Ekitike welcomed the idea and left tactical decisions to Slot. “I can’t see one big club playing with just one striker, so it is good that he is here,” he said.
“For my age, I still have a lot of things to improve and learn so, for me, it is good that he is here. That’s the coach to decide how he wants to play, not me, but I’ve been playing in two striker compositions and one striker, so I can do a lot of things. And if we have to play together, I can do that.”
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has confirmed that Federico Chiesa will miss Tuesday’s Champions League match at Galatasaray due to a minor injury picked up at the weekend.
Chiesa sustained a knock during Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Crystal Palace. Although he took part in training on Monday at the AXA Training Centre, he was unable to complete the session.
Arne Slot explained that the decision to leave him out of the 21-man travelling squad was made to protect the forward ahead of a busy schedule, with a Premier League clash against Chelsea coming up shortly after.
Chiesa Misses Out On Galatasaray Match – Arne Slot Explains
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Slot said:
“He got a little niggle in the last game against Palace. He tried it today, he was on the pitch at the beginning but he couldn’t finish the session, so we decided not to take him because in a few days it’s Chelsea again.”
Liverpool have confirmed a 21-man travelling squad for Tuesday night’s Champions League clash with Galatasaray at RAMS Park.
Arne Slot’s side departed for Istanbul on Monday afternoon as they prepare for their second league-phase fixture of the season, aiming to build on their 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid at Anfield earlier this month.
Federico Chiesa, who scored Liverpool’s only goal in the 2-1 defeat at Crystal Palace on Saturday and trained with the squad at the AXA Training Centre earlier today, has been left out of the travelling party.
Liverpool Name 21-Man Squad For Champions League Trip To Galatasaray
Hugo Ekitike returns to the squad after serving a suspension and is in contention to feature against the reigning Turkish champions.
The Reds will be hoping to bounce back from the weekend loss in the Premier League and continue their strong start in Europe.
Liverpool fell to a late 2-1 defeat against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon.
The home side opened the scoring in the ninth minute when Ismaila Sarr reacted quickest to a loose ball from a corner to finish from close range. Alisson Becker was then called into action with a series of important saves to keep the Reds in the contest, including denying Jean-Philippe Mateta on two occasions, while the Palace forward also struck the post before half-time.
Arne Slot’s men pushed for an equaliser after the interval. Cody Gakpo fired over soon after coming on at the break, while Florian Wirtz saw his close-range effort kept out by Dean Henderson. Alexander Isak went close twice as Liverpool continued to apply pressure.
Federico Chiesa came off the bench to level in the 87th minute, slotting in after a deflected cross fell kindly to him. However, Palace found a winner deep into stoppage time when substitute Eddie Nketiah struck from inside the box to seal the points for the hosts.
