Liverpool 2-0 Fulham 

©TM/IMAGO

Easter came and went last week, but it appears Arne Slot has put all of his – and Liverpool’s – eggs in the Champions League basket as he plots their resurrection. Despite suffering a 2-0 defeat in the first leg of the quarter-final tie, the 47-year-old head coach benched Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak for Saturday’s Premier League fixture with Fulham. With his future reportedly hanging in the balance at Anfield, it could be a decision that defines his Liverpool legacy.

The Merseyside outfit are a long way from guaranteeing their place in next season’s Champions League and the pressure on Slot has ramped up in recent weeks. The Dutchman arguably needed a victory as much as any other Premier League manager, yet he opted to leave his first-choice striker and the player whom they broke the British transfer record to bring in out of the starting lineup.

Isak is only just returning to action, so it’s understandable if his minutes are being managed, while some may suggest that Ekitiké’s anonymous display against PSG warranted him dropping out of the lineup. But in the Premier League, his influence speaks for itself.

Liverpool record when Ekitiké starts

Prior to facing Fulham, Liverpool had won 14 out of the 21 games Ekitiké had started in the Premier League, drawing three and lost five. When he has been absent from the teamsheet or named among the substitutes, the Reds have tasted victory just once in 10 games – a 2-0 triumph over West Ham back on November 30, 2025.

Without Isak, the 23-year-old has been required to step up and deliver on his 95 million transfer fee right away. Liverpool won their first five games of the season with Ekitiké starting up front and he provided three goals as well as an assist in that run. Then he was sent off in an EFL Cup game against Southampton and the Reds struggled, with neither Ekitiké or Isak available to play in the 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace.

In and out of the team, the Frenchman went eight league games without scoring before ending his goal drought with a brace against Leeds. He followed that up with another double against Brighton and bagged a crucial goal against Tottenham. A thigh issue interrupted his form, keeping him out of the team in the reverse fixture against Fulham – a 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage – and the goalless draw with Arsenal.

His goals have been crucial in securing important wins or settling nerves at Anfield, notably in convincing wins over Newcastle and West Ham. So leaving his 11-goal striker out is a bold decision, and some might’ve argued wasn’t entirely unnecessary. But it paid dividends, much to Slot’s relief.

Old and new guard combine

After a sluggish start to the game for the hosts, 17-year-old wonderkid Rio Ngumoha sprung into life and produced a moment of magic 36 minutes, twisting Timothy Castagne into knots before bending his shot into the far corner.

It was a goal akin to one that Raheem Sterling has scored multiple times in his career, and ironically, the goal meant Ngumoha emulated Sterling by becoming the youngest-ever player to score at Anfield at 17 years and 225 days old.

Then it was Mohamed Salah, the man nearly twice his age, who produced almost an identical goal on the other side of the box to make it 2-0. For once, it looked like Liverpool would secure a rare win without needing Ekitike or Isak’s services.

Slot is a Premier League-winning manager, and for all of the noise around his future, that fact shouldn’t be forgotten. Managers only get credit for the bold calls that pay off, and this one did. Liverpool are now right back in the mix for a top-four finish, with only two points separating them and Aston Villa with six games to go. If they manage to eradicate the deficit against PSG, his decision to rest his €190 million striker duo Ekitiké and Isak may well have played a massive part in that.