Early season chaos has given way to an approach based on solidity and utilising the squad’s attacking strengths

The table does not lie and Nottingham Forest were proudly fifth in the Premier League on Sunday night. Admittedly, the reality is they sit 16th but since Sean Dyche took over as manager only four teams have bettered their points tally, with a breezy win against Tottenham a further sign of revolution in action.

Considering the shambolic nature of the season before Dyche was appointed on 21 October, the fact Forest find themselves out of the relegation zone is impressive enough. They were 18th with five points after nine matches that included four defeats from Ange Postecoglou’s five league fixtures. It may have felt even sweeter for fans that the latest humbling handed out was against the Australian’s previous club.

• Anfield captain: ‘I hope he stays – he is one of my leaders’

• Player heads for Africa Cup of Nations after Brighton win

Virgil van Dijk wants Mohamed Salah to remain at Liverpool but the club captain accepts that is not guaranteed. The Egyptian was reinstated to the squad after being dropped for the Champions League trip to Inter in response to his outburst after the 3-3 draw at Leeds last weekend.

Salah was recalled by Arne Slot for Saturday’s win over Brighton, coming off the bench in the 26th minute for the injured Joe Gomez, as the coach shuffled his team. The forward marked his return to action by taking the corner from which Hugo Ekitiké scored his second goal but will now depart to represent Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations, and could be away for more than a month. His absence will allow time to resolve his long-term future.

Forward made an emotional lap of honour at Anfield after a week that put his future at the club in doubt

Mohamed Salah and Liverpool have put politics to shame by showing what a long week truly looks like. It ended with the Egyptian doing a one-man lap of honour at Anfield, an attempt to rebuild trust with the supporters after creating a ceasefire, if not a complete truce, with Arne Slot.

Over the past seven days a lot has changed, but one thing remained the same, Salah started a Premier League game on the bench, not that he needed to wait long for a chance to do his talking on the pitch. He would finish with an assist after playing 75 minutes against Brighton in a game in which he desperately wanted to score. Maybe his parade was the beginning of the end, but it felt more like the start of the apology that should continue after the Africa Cup of Nations, giving both parties space to breathe.