The Minnesota Vikings’ offseason, through about six weeks, has not been quiet, and the club has just three weeks until free agency, when the lid really pops off. To recap, the following is a list of the three most meaningful events of the purple team’s offseason to date — with several more to come.

Three developments have shaped Minnesota’s offseason early, setting the priorities at quarterback, the staff, and the front office.

In fact, the Vikings’ offseason is truly defined by three main events.

Three Turning Points Already Defining Minnesota’s Offseason

Counting down the order (No. 1 = biggest offseason moments to date), here we go.

3. Vikings Announced “Deep QB Room” as Main Priority

After an initial delay for unknown reasons, the Vikings held a press conference to recap 2025 and discuss the future. Former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was even there.

Asked if the Vikings would commit to J.J. McCarthy as the 2026 QB1, head coach Kevin O’Connell — now de facto general manager after Adofo-Mensah’s termination — replied: “Ultimately, I think in the quarterback room, it’s about having just the deepest, most talented room you possibly can, every single year.”

“What that looks like at a pretty impactful position on your salary cap, when you’re able to possibly plan for your depth chart looking in a way where you can be competitive no matter what. I think there has to be competition at quarterback. I think that’s what’s gonna make everybody better in that room. It’s gonna be what makes our entire offense thrive through that competition.”

His response to the McCarthy question … was “we need a deep quarterback room.”

Adofo-Mensah, now irrelevant, was asked the same question, and he said the Vikings must achieve their offseason goals, completely ducking a commitment to McCarthy.

In that moment, from O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah, fans learned that Minnesota would not simply find another Sam Howell or Carson Wentz; the Vikings will trade for or sign a quarterback to push McCarthy to the limit this summer or flat-out take his job.

NFL- and Vikings-themed media have speculated this week that Kyler Murray could be the Vikings’ target. ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss wrote about Murray’s trade price tag last month: “An NFC source believes the starting price for Murray, if Arizona is interested in trading him, could start with a second-round pick.”

“That source believes if the Cardinals can trade Murray, they will. The league source believes Murray’s market starts with a third-round pick. That source compared Murray’s situation with Geno Smith’s when he was traded from Seattle to Las Vegas last March for a third-round.”

2. Brian Flores Signs Contract Extension

Flores received head coaching sniffs from the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, two fundamentally solid organizations that seemed on a track to perhaps hire him. The Steelers ultimately — and hilariously — chose Mike McCarthy, and the Ravens landed on Jesse Minter.

Striking out for a fifth consecutive offseason in finding a head coaching job, Flores re-signed with the Vikings for a reported $6 million per year. He’s not going anywhere.

Minnesota’s defense will feature continuity at the top and have a chance to build on these numbers:

• 1st in Pass Rush Win Rate
• 2nd in Yards Allowed
• 3rd in Defense DVOA
• 3rd in EPA/Play
• 4th in Defensive 3rd Down Conv%
• 7th in Points Allowed

The Vikings would’ve risked a statistical tumble by hiring a non-Flores newcomer.

1. The Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Era Ends

Some, including this website, whispered in November and December that the Vikings needed a new general manager because Adofo-Mensah’s awful drafting habits were coming home to roost. The team held a 4-8 record, and McCarthy could not stay on the field.

Minnesota rallied, winning five games to close out 2025 and finishing the wayward campaign with a right-side-up record. Black Monday rolled around, and the Vikings did not fire Adofo-Mensah. He was safe. He was allowed to move freely in the 2026 offseason, deciding whether to keep McCarthy or try something new.

But after Sam Darnold and his Seattle Seahawks won the NFC Championship, something changed in Vikingland. The team’s owners, the Wilfs, fired Adofo-Mensah five days later, marking one of the most shocking offseason transactions in Vikings history because of the timing. Nobody was terribly surprised that an executive with Adofo-Mensah’s draft record would be canned, especially after bungling the Darnold matter, but firing him 3.5 weeks after the end of the regular season was bizarre.

The team promoted to capologist Rob Brzezinski to interim general manager, making O’Connell the personnel general manager by default until the Wilfs hire a formal replacement.

The Adofo-Mensah era is over, and perhaps the bad drafts will cease.

Suryakumar Yadav and Usman Tariq (Agency Image)

India skipper Suryakumar Yadav admitted that the team’s batting has looked a little shaky in the first two matches of the T20 World Cup but expressed confidence in handling Pakistan’s tricky spinner Usman Tariq, describing him as “an out of syllabus question” in an exam. “See, sometimes there is a question in the exam as well which is out of syllabus. So, we can’t leave that question. To tackle that, you have to adopt your own way. Yes, he is a different character when he comes to bowl,” Surya said at the pre-match press conference.

He added, “But at the same time, we can’t just surrender. We practise with similar types of bowlers and similar actions. We will try to execute what we are practising in the net sessions.” India’s earlier matches exposed some vulnerabilities, with the team reduced to 77 for six against the USA and then losing five wickets for just four runs in the death overs against Namibia. Looking ahead to Sunday’s clash on the slow Premadasa wicket, Surya acknowledged the challenge posed by Tariq’s unusual bowling action, which has sparked debates about legality. “We had a scratchy start. You can’t run away from the fact that it was not a proper T20 wicket. But I said earlier too that you can’t actually brush everything under the carpet. There is no excuse,” he said. He remained positive about the team’s recovery, noting, “But we came back strongly. So, that’s the beauty of T20 cricket. One or two batters I think taking that responsibility makes us cross the line.” Surya also highlighted the mental challenge of facing Pakistan, saying the key is handling pressure and big moments. “Yes, there will be pressure. There will be nerves, butterflies in the stomach when we start the game tomorrow. But yeah, at the same time, if there’s no pressure, no nerves, then there’s no fun to play cricket. And yeah, it’s a big occasion. But yeah, I mean, every time I say the same thing, at the end of the day, it’s just another game. You have to pack your skills, play some good cricket, focus on what you want to do better, and we’ll see what happens.” Despite Pakistan being in Sri Lanka for the past fortnight, Surya remained confident. “They might have some edge. But as I said, we have come here before, we have played in these conditions, we know how the pitch plays, similar conditions to India. It’s like the same situation for both the teams. See, it’s definitely challenging when you come to Sri Lanka. But then at the end of the day, you have to challenge yourself, somehow find a solution and come out good,” he said.

The 2026 offseason has featured great change for the Minnesota Vikings. Most notably, there has been the decision to fire GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah alongside the change that is yet to occur: the needed reinforcements at quarterback.

Swirling around these prominent stories — the GM and QB uncertainty — has been the various moves for the team’s coaching staff. Brian Flores was retained to be the DC, but his side of the ball got hollowed out by various coaches being stolen away from promotions. Likewise, the offense lost some talent while assistant head coach Mike Pettine retired. At the end of the week, Minnesota officially announced the two most recent adds.

Vikings Make Coaching Adds Official

The team’s official social media passing along the word means that the ink has been put down on paper.

So, consider the news that got passed along: “The #Vikings have promoted Ryan Cordell to Tight Ends/Game Management Coordinator and hired Derek Warehime as Assistant Offensive Line coach.”

Already, the news about shoring up the coaching help at tight end was out there in the world.

In Derek Warehime, the Vikings add another coach to help out along the front. He’ll partner with Keith Carter to lead the large lads who are tasked with winning in the trenches.

On a 53-man roster, a team commonly carries somewhere between eight and ten players for the offensive line (with more on the practice squad), so that could be roughly 20% of the roster all at one position. Having a pair to coach the spot therefore makes sense.

Rolling into the ’26 season, the Vikings are facing ample pressure.

Coach O’Connell, in particular, is going to be sitting on a seat that’s getting warmer. He was retained while Adofo-Mensah wasn’t, breaking up the twosome that got added in 2022. In fact, Adofo-Mensah was hired before O’Connell, but the coach has survived longer than the executive.

O’Connell’s task involves responding to Minnesota’s underwhelming, injury-filled 2025 that resulted outside of the playoffs due to a 9-8 record. A major part of the problem was what took place at quarterback, with the injuries depleting Minnesota’s quarterback depth.

Something that would make a major difference is revitalizing the run game. Or, at least, feigning interest in committing to the run game.

Daniel House commented on the new add to help along the o-line, making a connection to running the ball: “Coastal Carolina ran a mix of zone and pulling gap schemes. QB run game elements too. They also had a solid screen game, which is an area he may be able to help as well. It’s clear that KOC has made a strong commitment to bringing in more run game perspectives.”

Lately, the Vikings have more been known for wide-zone running — picture the gliding, elusive Dalvin Cook going horizontal before putting hit foot in the dirt to explode through an open crease (Jordan Mason can do this, too) — but layering in some “pulling gap” would be a nice change up built on rugged physicality and power. At times, Donovan Jackson showed off an ability to pull, and Will Fries was signed largely due to being pretty mean.

Minnesota, like all teams, will do different things but will need to ensure that balance exists between run and pass. At worst, running allows the offensive linemen to fire off the ball rather than needing to constantly be on their heels to withstand the pass rush. At best, running allows a team to chew up clock by grinding out first downs, helping to set up explosive passes while making life easier for the defense, too.

The Vikings’ coaching staff may yet get another add or two. Unlike the roster, the coaching staff doesn’t have a salary cap, so money shouldn’t be an issue.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kellen Mond — for some reason — enjoys his role as a scoop merchant these days, once been employed by the Vikings and now sharing the team’s secrets on LinkedIn (of all places) and social media. This week, he used X (formerly known as Twitter) to proclaim that Minnesota wanted quarterback Derek Carr in 2023.

Mond’s latest buzz adds another layer to Minnesota’s offseason QB noise, with Carr rumors and timing doing most of the work.

It’s unclear how Mond arrived at this conclusion because he was a year removed from the Vikings, but he evidently has the tea.

Mond Joins the Vikings’ Rumor Mill with Tea

Mond’s on a mission to expose the truth.

The Mond Tweet

For starters, VikingzFanPage on X tweeted Thursday, “The Vikings are listed as one of the four potential landing spots for Derek Carr if he was to unretire, according to NFL.com.”

Mond found the tweet and retweeted, “They wanted him in 2023. Might be tough to pull him out of retirement though.”

He must be referring to October 2023, when Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles, and Minnesota scrambled via trade to find an emergency midseason solution. Former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah ultimately found Joshua Dobbs from the Arizona Cardinals. But per Mond, the Vikings poked around Carr’s availability, who played for the Saints at the time.

It remains unclear how Mond knows the factoid; he left the Vikings during the summer of 2022.

Carr’s Possible Unretirement

Carr, indeed, wants back in. NFL.com’s Kevin Patra wrote this week, “Derek Carr announced his retirement from the Saints last spring due to a labral tear in his rotator cuff. The QB’s injury could have been repaired by surgery, but it would have put his ability to play last season in jeopardy. With that reality hanging overhead, the Saints and the QB agreed on a retirement pact.”

“Heading into an offseason with a questionable available quarterback pool, Derek Carr’s name has piqued interest around the NFL. NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero reported on Sunday that Carr could unretire in 2026, provided the right situation and coaching staff materialized.”

Carr was then asked on his brother David’s podcast about unretirement, and he replied, “Would I do it? Yes. Would I do it for anybody? Absolutely not. Would I do it? Absolutely, I would.”

“I told you two things: I have to be healthy, and I’d want a chance to win a Super Bowl. And obviously, that’s a tough thing to find. That’s hard to do. That’s not easy.”

He’s basically telling the masses that he wants to be signed by a contender.

Connection to the Vikings

How did the Vikings immediately wiggle into the conversation? Easy — they might be the only team this offseason that needs a quarterback alternative to be on the doorstep of a playoff push.

These teams need or may need a quarterback this offseason:

• Arizona Cardinals
• Atlanta Falcons
• Cleveland Browns
• Indianapolis Colts
• Las Vegas Raiders
• Miami Dolphins
• Minnesota Vikings
• New York Jets
• Pittsburgh Steelers

If Daniel Jones re-signs in Indianapolis and Aaron Rodgers re-ups with Mike McCarthy’s Steelers, that would leave the Vikings as Carr’s one spot to contend for the playoffs and Super Bowl in 2026. The Vikings won nine games in 2025 with the league’s fifth-worst quarterback play (EPA per play). Kevin O’Connell’s team can probably get right back on the horse if it finds or develops a competent quarterback.

So, yes — most Carr unretirement theories boil down to the Colts, Steelers, and Vikings.

SI.com‘s Zach Presnell also mentioned a Carr trade to the Cardinals this week, explaining, “The Cardinals are seemingly ready to move on from Kyler Murray, but they don’t have another franchise option. They could turn to Jacoby Brissett, but there’s only so much upside in that idea. As a result, adding Carr could make a bit of sense. If he’s healthy and good to go, he would be an upgrade over Brissett.”

“This would give the Cardinals a chance to compete while they search for their next franchise quarterback. It would also depend on whether Carr is willing to play for the Cardinals. He might not want to come out of retirement if he doesn’t see a real route to the Super Bowl with his next team.”

A Verdict in Mere Weeks

Thankfully, for those curious about the Carr sweepstakes, a verdict from a Vikings standpoint isn’t far away. Free agency kicks off with “legal tampering” on Monday, March 9th — about three weeks from now — and if Carr is somehow the purple plan at quarterback, the trade details will come to life.

It’s severely unlikely for the Vikings to do nothing in March at quarterback again and spend all summer courting Carr.

This thing should be resolved or known in less than a month.

Kellen Mond can then go back to LinkedIn, posting his anti-Rick Spielman and anti-Mike Zimmer threads that are so popular.

The NASCAR season officially takes the green flag on Sunday with the 2026 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. William Byron enters as the two-time defending Daytona 500 champion, while Kyle Larson will begin his defense of the NASCAR season championship. Joey Logano, who will start in third at the ‘The Great American Race,’ is the co-favorite at +1000 alongside pole sitter Kyle Busch in the latest 2026 Daytona 500 odds via FanDuel Sportsbook, with Ryan Blaney right behind at +1100. 

Other top 2026 Daytona 500 contenders include Chase Elliott at +1200 and Denny Hamlin and back-to-back winner Williams Byron, both at +1300. The 200-lap race from the 2.5-mile asphalt track is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. ET. Before making any 2026 Daytona 500 picks or NASCAR predictions, you need to see the projected leaderboard from Mike McClure’s proven model.

New users can also check out the latest FanDuel promo code and get $100 in bonus bets instantly at FanDuel if your $5 bet wins. 

McClure is a legendary professional DFS player with more than $2 million in career winnings. He uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every lap of NASCAR action 10,000 times. All told, the model has nailed a whopping 29 winners since 2021 and hit 11 winners in 2025. Anyone following his NASCAR betting picks at their favorite sportsbooks could have seen huge returns.

Now, McClure has turned his attention to the NASCAR season-opening Daytona 500. He’s only sharing his best bets at SportsLine.

2026 NASCAR Daytona 500 predictions

For the 2026 NASCAR Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, McClure is fading Logano, who is the +1000 co-favorite. The model says he doesn’t even crack the top 5, making him a driver to avoid at this price. Logano hasn’t finished higher than fifth at Daytona since 2023, and he ranks 15th among active drivers in average finish position at this track, making him a driver to avoid at this price. 

Another surprise: The model is high on Kyle Larson, who is a +1700 longshot. Larson will start on Row 4 in the eighth position overall, next to No. 7 Austin Dillon. Larson historically hasn’t been great at Daytona, but with a NASCAR title and three wins last year, he’s a strong value at these longer odds. See which other drivers the model is backing at SportsLine.

New users can target the DraftKings promo code, which offers $300 in bonus bets if your $5+ bet wins:

How to make 2026 Daytona 500 picks

McClure is also high on a +2000 longshot, potentially netting any backer a huge payday. You can only see who it is here.

So who wins the 2026 Daytona 500, and which massive longshot could stun NASCAR? Visit SportsLine now to see the 2026 NASCAR Daytona 500 picks and best bets from a NASCAR insider, and find out.

2026 NASCAR Daytona 500 odds, lineup

See full NASCAR Daytona 500 picks at SportsLine

(Odds from FanDuel, subject to change)
Kyle Busch +1000
Joey Logano +1000
Ryan Blaney +1100
Chase Elliott +1200
Denny Hamlin +1300
William Byron +1300
Austin Cindric +1400
Kyle Larson +1700
Brad Keselowski +2000
Chase Briscoe +2000
Christopher Bell +2200
Alex Bowman +2200
Ryan Preece +2500
Bubba Wallace +2500
Chris Buescher +2500
Josh Berry +2500
Carson Hocevar +2700
Erik Jones +3000
Ross Chastain +3300
Connor Zilisch +3300
Tyler Reddick +3500
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +3500
Ty Gibbs +4000
Daniel Suarez +4500
Austin Dillon +5000
Michael McDowell +5000
John Hunter Nemechek +5000
Justin Allgaier +5000
Jimmie Johnson +5500
Noah Gragson +6000
Todd Gilliland +6000
Zane Smith +6000
AJ Allmendinger +6000
Shane Van Gisbergen +7000
Ty Dillon +7000
Cole Custer +7000
Corey Heim +7000
Riley Herbst +7500
Cody Ware +12500
BJ McLeod +17500
Casey Mears +17500

Anna Kalinskaya has spoken openly about her early development years, revealing that intense training demands during her time at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy led to a recurring back injury that still affects her career today.

Kalinskaya shared her experience on the BB Tennis podcast while speaking with former doubles world No. 1 Elena Vesnina earlier in the week. She acknowledged the quality of the academy’s facilities but said the physical demands placed on players were overwhelming for her at that stage.

“I went to the Mouratoglou Academy; they had good facilities, lots of courts and an amazing gym. I stayed there for a while. But they started demanding a huge amount of physical effort from us, and I wasn’t ready for that,” Kalinskaya said.

She explained that up to the age of 16, she had not undergone heavy physical conditioning and struggled to cope with the sudden intensity of training.

“Up to age 16, I hadn’t done much. I wasn’t ready for training, and it was always very intense. There was no individual approach. I spent time with a sparring partner, and the workload was insane.”

During that period, Kalinskaya said she began experiencing back pain, which later became the first serious injury of her career.

“I was starting to get results and playing well, but I began feeling back pain. That was my first injury. And unfortunately, that pain still comes back from time to time today.”

She added that the lack of personalised training was ultimately why she chose to leave the academy.

“I think they should have been more careful. I stopped going because there was no individual approach.”

Kalinskaya did not accuse any individual coach of wrongdoing and did not suggest intentional harm. Her comments were framed as a reflection on training philosophy and player management rather than a formal complaint.

As of now, there has been no official response from the academy, and no investigation has been announced.

The Arizona Cardinals continue to fill out their coaching staff under new head coach Miek LaFleur. While a few coaches are being retained, there will be many new faces.

One new assistant, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, is Jake Moreland. The Cardinals are expected to make Moreland their new tight ends coach, replacing Ben Steele.

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Moreland has ties with new offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. Moreland coached tight ends for the Denver Broncos when Hackett was the head coach.

Moreland has been the tight ends coach for the Houston Texans the last three seasons. He will now get to work with Trey McBride, Elijah Higgins, Tip Reiman and anyone else they bring in.

Jake Moreland coaching career

Moreland has been coaching since 2003 and got his first NFL coaching gig in 2021.

• 2003: Tight ends coach, Elmhurst

• 2004: Special teams coordinator, offensive assistant, St. Josephs (Indiana)

• 2005-2011: Tight ends coach, Western Michigan

• 2012-2014: Tight ends coach, Air Force

• 2015: Offensive tackles coach and tight ends coach, Syracuse

• 2016: Wide receivers coach, Air Force

• 2017: Co-offensive coordinator and O-line coach, Western Michigan

• 2018-2019: Offensive coordinator and O-line coach, Western Michigan

• 2020: Offensive coordinator and tight ends coach, Western Michigan

• 2021: Assistant offensive line coach, New York Jets

• 2022: Tight ends coach, Denver Broncos

• 2023-2025: Tight ends coach, Houston Texans

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Arizona Cardinals making Jake Moreland new TE coach

Man Utd U18s won 3-1 against Man City on Saturday, with JJ Gabriel, Chido Obi and Jim Thwaites getting on the scoresheet.

15:28, 14 Feb 2026

Darren Fletcher shouted “Chido, well played” from the touchline in the first half of Manchester United Under-18s’ game against Manchester City. Chido Obi had just forced a save from the Manchester City goalkeeper and looked disappointed not to have scored.

In another passage of play, Obi was sent through into the box, but he was flagged offside. The youngster’s shoulders slumped, and Fletcher responded by shouting: “Keep your head up, Chido.”

Fletcher encouraged Obi throughout the U18 Manchester derby. The striker’s out-of-possession work has been identified as his biggest area for improvement, but he was excellent in that regard, pressing aggressively to help force a mistake from Harrison Miles for the opening goal.

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Miles’ heavy touch when attempting to play out from the back created an opportunity. Obi reacted quickly and pressured the ball, which led to JJ Gabriel picking it up and firing home.

Obi needs to learn to love the ugly side of being a centre-forward to return to the first team set-up. The youngster loves to score goals, but there are other duties a striker must excel at to become the finished article.

Gabriel broke the deadlock, and Obi was praised by his manager as he returned to the halfway line for the restart. Gabriel and Obi are a deadly partnership at U18 level. They both have the talent to reach the pinnacle of the game, but it’s matches like Saturday’s against City that will help them to develop.

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With seven minutes remaining, Obi got the reward for his diligent out-of-possession work when he gambled, as every striker should, by latching onto a long ball over the top of City’s backline.

In most cases, the ball probably would have been cleared, but Obi sniffed a potential opening and struck gold with a clinical finish. Fletcher looked delighted with him on the touchline.

United were the short-priced favourites to see out the victory after Obi’s goal. However, City produced an immediate response to halve the deficit through Tyrone Samba. The 18-year-old found the top corner from the edge of the box to set up a fascinating last few minutes of the academy Manchester derby.

City’s build-up became frantic as they chased a late equaliser. United soaked up the pressure and counter-attacked, which led to the Reds winning a free-kick around 20 yards out. Jim Thwaites was introduced to the game at half-time and confidently picked up the ball.

The inevitable happened. Thwaites has already built a reputation in the academy as a dead-ball specialist, and the technique to find the top left from the right side of the box was exquisite.

United won 3-1 to close the gap in the U18 North League table. City have been the pace-setters this season and are now a point ahead with three games in hand, but United’s victory should provide the youngsters with hope that the title race could go down to the final day of the campaign.

Fletcher was spotted deep in conversation with Michael Carrick after the final whistle. Carrick was present at City’s academy to watch his son play in the Under-16 Manchester derby on the adjacent pitch.

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It looked like Carrick received a debrief from Fletcher about his team’s superb performance. Carrick has shown a keen interest in the academy since his appointment as interim boss, unlike his predecessor, and his presence demonstrates that there is a pathway to the first team.

Each of the goalscorers against City, Gabriel, Obi and Thwaites, have taken part in first-team training sessions at Carrington. Carrick will cast his eye on academy prospects for as long as he’s in charge.

It will be fascinating to see if Obi is involved in another Premier League squad before the end of the season. Obi has been included in just a single squad, against Wolves on December 30, and his hopes of further involvement have been dashed by early cup exits and very few first-team injuries.

Obi only celebrated his 18th birthday in November and needs to “keep his head up”.

Mohamed Salah patted the badge on his chest as the Kop chorused his song. It was a rare feat, even by his standards: just the third time in his Liverpool career he had scored, assisted and won a penalty in the same game.

As Salah was able to celebrate with his public again after scoring, his 252nd goal for Liverpool was only his second since his incendiary interview at Leeds. The process of reintegration began with a cameo against Brighton in December. It accelerated with a spot-kick against Albion in February.

He won it and scored it, tripped by Pascal Gross, rifling his shot into the roof of the net. He had only struck once in his previous 12 games for Liverpool, and that was against Qarabag. He had not found the net against a Premier League club since Aston Villa’s visit at the start of November. This meant a lot. “It was very big for the confidence,” said Salah. “It was very big, for sure.” It felt like another step in the healing process. “It is very nice to have him on the scoresheet again but what I like is that he is helping the team defensively,” said Arne Slot.

Whatever the summer holds for him, Liverpool could enjoy the sight of Salah looking irrepressible. Perhaps, too, they could be grateful that what looked a crisis was defused. That may reflect well on Slot and if the Dutchman has had too few games this season when every decision he has made has brought a rich reward, this victory came with sweet vindication.

As the Liverpool manager fielded his latest line-up without a specialist right-back, the assumption might have been that Dominik Szoboszlai was in the back four and Curtis Jones in midfield. Instead, it was the other way around.

Each was on the scoresheet, and in a way that reflected the role Slot had given him. Jones scored for the first time since 2024 by materialising at the far post. Szoboszlai used his running power to burst through the inside-right channel and unleash his second unstoppable shot in as many weeks at Anfield.

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In the process, Slot may have learned a lesson from a game when his choices backfired. At the corresponding stage of the FA Cup a year ago, he selected too much of a weakened side and suffered the embarrassment of defeat to Plymouth. Twelve months on, he started with nine of his strongest available 11 and, while Hugo Ekitike and Ryan Gravenberch began on the bench, the Dutchman’s rest permitted Jones’ return and allowed Szoboszlai to play in midfield.

The context has changed from Slot’s first taste of the FA Cup, which ended so ignominiously in Devon. Now it is Liverpool’s most realistic chance of silverware this season, and they swept into the fifth round. Their league position remains unsatisfactory but they have only been beaten twice in 18 outings in all competitions and, after the frustration of last week’s loss to Manchester City, they have conjured a response by beating Sunderland and Brighton.

Their season has been a story of makeshift right-backs and, for all the issues injuries have posed, they have added some productivity. Szoboszlai has twin spectacular free kicks against Arsenal and City when deployed as a defender. Jones ended a lengthy drought when – in theory, anyway – stationed further from the Brighton goal. “There have been times I’ve scored more but not played as well as I am now,” he said after getting a first goal in 58 games.

The Liverpudlian had come agonisingly close with a left-footed shot from 20 yards. Then, meeting Milos Kerkez’s inviting cross on the half-volley, he crashed in a shot off the underside of the bar. “It was very pleasing the first goal was an assist from the left-back to the right-back,” Slot said.

Kerkez ended up being overshadowed – not least by his fellow Hungairan – but he was terrific. He married deft skill with dynamic runs. He had drawn a fine save from Jason Steele with a rising, rasping half-volley. Then came his assist.

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“The second goal was even nicer than the first one,” Slot said. Salah cushioned a pass into the path of the surging Szoboszlai and, without breaking stride, he drove a shot past Steele.“He is one of the best players in the world right now,” said Salah. Szoboszlai earned a fourth assist for the Egyptian since his return from the African Cup of Nations.

When the 33-year-old then scored himself from the penalty spot, it was cue for Slot to substitute him, to a rousing ovation. His replacement Rio Ngumoha had a goal ruled out for offside; there was no VAR to prove he was onside. Meanwhile, Brighton objected to Salah’s spot kick. “Poor decision,” said Fabian Hurzeler. “Never a penalty.”

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He could also lament moments either side of the interval. “We had enough chances to score a goal,” added Hurzeler. But Alisson saved from Diego Gomez, coming to Jones’ rescue after he slipped. He clawed away Lewis Dunk’s header. After his error against City, it was a redemptive return to Anfield for Alisson, and justification for Slot in selecting him, rather than Giorgi Mamardashvili.

So there was no seismic double for Brighton, conquerors of Manchester United at Old Trafford in the third round, no cup run deflect from underachievement in the Premier League.

“We are not in a good moment,” Hurzeler said. But now Salah is.