In this case Man City is the party who benefits because Kevin de Bruyne return coincides with Mo Salah long absence. And for the party that is slightly disadvantaged, Liverpool needs to be able to overcome Mo Salah absence in any way. In the last match Nunez was Liverpool substitute and savior to maintain the point difference from Man City. But because 1 month is quite a long time it means that there are 3 to 4 matches that have to be played without Mo Salah and this is clearly not something that is easy for Liverpool to go through. The 5 point difference is not the problem but Liverpool consistency is at stake without a capable striker. I don't doubt Liverpool players but Mo Salah presence is vital in every victory they achieve.
indeed a loss for Liverpool. but it seems like Klopp doesn't want to make it a burden for the team to face several opponents. and several matches seem to have been successfully passed. they won 0-2 from Arsenal. they won 2-1 from Fulham. and finally won 0-4 against Bournemouth.
Klopp still has several player options on the front line with a combination of Gakpo, Nunez, Jota, Luis Diaz, and Elliot. Even though Salah is very important for the team, when he can't play then Klopp has to maximize the existing players. They cannot give up City's pursuit, which still has 1 match.
It's true that I also saw that Jurgen Klopp was able to overcome the absence of M. Salah, who had to be absent because he was playing for the Egyptian national team and also because M. Salah was also absent from his national team due to a minor injury.
Klopp has proven that he can overcome the absence of M. Salah by still being able to give Liverpool victory in these 3 matches, where Liverpool are still productive in scoring goals. This is also the answer that Liverpool's front line is still quite sharp. M. Salah's figure is indeed important, but Liverpool does have other strikers who can be relied on when M. Salah is absent. So I feel that Liverpool will continue their winning trend even without M. Salah. The same thing happened at Man City because they have played several matches without Haaland. But they still look strong. And yes, this is the same as Liverpool, which still looks strong even without M. Salah.