The painful Liverpool decision created by Hugo Ekitike’s disastrous injury

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Salah’s fifth and last appearance against them in a Liverpool shirt was as a replacement. Slot has started quoting the statistics of how few minutes Wirtz, Isak and Ekitike have played together; just 88 before Tuesday, up to 119 now (even if the last few of those were with the Frenchman being stretchered off).

Arne Slot reacts during Liverpool v Paris Saint-Germain (PA)But Wirtz, Ekitike and Isak were signed to provide a future beyond Salah, the question of how and where they were all intended to play together remains unresolved. It is hard to escape the sense that Liverpool, and Slot, never actually had an answer.Tuesday’s uneasy compromise had Ekitike on the right: perhaps his third-best position, as well as being Salah’s favourite berth.

He has been the closest thing to a success in their £450m recruitment drive.PSG's goalkeeper Matvey Safonov saves in front of Liverpool's Alexander Isak (AP)It was notable that six summer arrivals started against PSG, including Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Giorgi Mamardashvili. Isak was the biggest buy and the worst: not just at Liverpool, but in the Premier League as a whole.Now Ekitike’s absence renders Isak suddenly more important.