Salah in meltdown. The Three biggest flops who made matchday 15 a total nightmare

An Egyptian King in exile, a midfielder hooked at half-time and a striker who cannot buy a goal - these are the men who want to forget matchday 15 ever happened

By "Big" Barry O'ConnorPublished Dec 9, 2025, 9:01 AMUpdated Dec 9, 2025, 5:24 PM
Liverpool Arsenal Wolves

Liverpool - Arsenal - Wolves

For every hero, there is a villain. For every moment of magic, there is a horror show.

Matchday 15 gave us some incredible highs, but it also delivered some absolutely BRUTAL lows. Players who stunk the place out. Men who will be having nightmares about this weekend for months to come.

Let Barry take you through the hall of shame.

1. Mohamed Salah - Liverpool

Where do we even START with this one?

Mohamed Salah did not just have a bad matchday 15. He had a complete and utter MELTDOWN that might have ended his Liverpool career.

For the third consecutive match, the Egyptian King was benched by Arne Slot. He sat there at Elland Road watching his teammates throw away ANOTHER two-goal lead, drawing 3-3 with Leeds. He was not even brought on as a substitute. Not a single minute.

And then he snapped.

Salah stopped in the mixed zone after the match and absolutely UNLOADED. He said he had been thrown under the bus. He claimed his relationship with Slot was broken. He accused unnamed figures at the club of trying to force him out.

The result? He has been BANISHED from the Champions League squad for the Inter Milan clash. Left at home while his teammates flew to Italy. The highest-paid player in Liverpool history, watching from his sofa.

This is a man with 250 goals for the club. The fourth-highest scorer in Premier League history. A legend who fired them to the title just last season. And now he is being treated like a naughty schoolboy.

Yes, his form has dropped - four goals in 13 games compared to 11 at this stage last year. But this is NOT how you treat a club icon. The whole situation is an absolute shambles.

Barry's verdict: Career at Anfield in tatters. What a way to end a legacy.

2. Eberechi Eze - Arsenal

Mikel Arteta does not hook players at half-time unless something has gone SERIOUSLY wrong. On Saturday at Villa Park, Eberechi Eze got the dreaded early shower.

The attacking midfielder was absolutely ANONYMOUS in the first 45 minutes against Aston Villa. Worse than anonymous, actually - he was actively costing his team.

Eze was directly blamed for Matty Cash's opening goal. He switched off defensively, lost his man, and Cash ghosted in to put Villa ahead. It was schoolboy stuff from a player who is supposed to be one of Arsenal's creative sparks.

Arteta had seen enough. At half-time, Eze was dragged off alongside Mikel Merino, who was equally poor. Two substitutions at the break - a damning indictment of how badly things had gone wrong.

Arsenal went on to lose 2-1, their 18-match unbeaten run coming to a crashing end. And while Buendia's late winner was the dagger, the damage was done in that woeful first-half display.

Eze arrived at Arsenal with a big reputation from Crystal Palace. Performances like this will have fans wondering if he is actually up to the level required to win titles.

Barry's verdict: Hooked at half-time. Blamed for the goal. Absolutely rinsed.

3. Jorgen Strand Larsen - Wolves

Finally, FINALLY, Wolves remembered where the goal was. After FIVE consecutive matches without scoring - the longest drought in their entire history - they found the net against Manchester United.

Fat lot of good it did them.

Jorgen Strand Larsen is supposed to be Wolves' main man up front. The Norwegian striker arrived with decent pedigree and was meant to fire them to safety. Instead, he has been about as threatening as a wet newspaper.

Yes, Wolves scored at Molineux on Monday night. But they also shipped FOUR goals in a humiliating home defeat. The 4-1 scoreline flattered them, frankly. United could have had six or seven.

Strand Larsen cuts a forlorn figure these days. Isolated up front, starved of service, playing for a team that has completely forgotten how to play football. He has just one league goal all season. ONE. For a striker at a Premier League club, that is absolutely criminal.

Wolves are rock bottom with just 3 points from 15 games. They are already 12 points from safety. The Championship is not just calling - it is screaming down the phone. And Strand Larsen, through no fault of his own perhaps, is the symbol of their utter hopelessness.

Barry's verdict: Lone soldier in a losing war. Already planning his Championship campaign.

Dishonourable mentions

Mikel Merino (Arsenal) - Hooked alongside Eze at half-time. Cost a fortune from Real Sociedad, delivered absolutely nothing at Villa Park.

Arne Slot (Liverpool) - His team has thrown away a two-goal lead FOUR times this season. The champions are in eighth place. And now he has a full-blown civil war with his best player. Disaster.

The entire Wolves defence - Shipped four at home to United. Have conceded 33 goals in 15 games. League Two sides defend better than this lot.

Category: News
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"Big" Barry O'Connor

Barry has been covering English football for 30 years. He is an outspoken character ("loudmouth") who has his ins at the pubs where the supporters go. He isn't afraid to call for a manager's sacking after just two losses. His style is direct, populist, and sometimes brutal. He loves puns in headlines and focuses on conflicts, wages, and dressing room drama.