Salah should not be written off, though. This is a dangerous game.
He had started 53 Premier League games in a row before this one, often appearing to be on a single-handed mission to bring the title back to Liverpool last season, which eventually happened.
Salah has made 419 appearances for Liverpool with 383 starts, scoring 250 times. He has made 300 league appearances, with 288 starts, since his move from AS Roma in the summer of 2017, scoring 188 goals with a win percentage of 64%.
In all competitions, Liverpool have won 263 games when Salah has played – a win ratio of 63%.
This is a talent that cannot be dismissed, but equally Slot would not be doing his job if he did not look to Liverpool’s life beyond Salah – and the victory at West Ham offered some clues.
It will be intriguing to see if Slot brings him back against Sunderland at Anfield on Wednesday,
Having only netted against Southampton in the Carabao Cup back in September, Isak’s confidence will be done the world of good by that snap half-volley to end a 310-minute league goal drought on his sixth appearance.
Wirtz, too, showed some signs of what all the fuss was about when the 22-year-old German playmaker arrived at Liverpool with plenty of touches of deft intelligence while on a roving, roaming commission.
“I’ve been waiting for it and chasing this goal and sometimes it takes longer than you expect, but I’m happy to score a goal and help towards the win,” Isak told BBC Sport’s Match of the Day.
“It’s never easy. As a striker you need momentum. Sometimes you go through these patches but hopefully this will be helpful towards building good form. We defended really well and scored twice so happy days.”
For Liverpool and Slot, this was all about the win – only their second in the league since beating Everton 2-1 on 20 September.
The fact it was done with his expensive summer acquisitions showing better form will be an added boost as the pressure valve is released around the Dutchman over his future.
