Mohamed Salah was back in the Liverpool squad against Brighton at Anfield on Saturday, and he came on after just 26 minutes and was excellent in his hour on the pitch.
LIVE — Liverpool v Brighton
Salah replaced the injured Joe Gomez and went out to the right wing, with Dominik Szoboszlai going to right back.
And the Liverpool legend was immediately involved in two big chances right away and declined to shot on both occasions, while he created several chances throughout the rest of the game and grabbed an assist for Hugo Ekitike’s second goal.
Salah’s name was sung loud and proud by the Liverpool fans at Anfield when he came on as a huge cheer rang out when he came onto the pitch. Those chants continued throughout the game and Salah applauded the fans at the final whistle and was smiling as he walked off the pitch.
Was this Salah’s final appearance for Liverpool? We will be waiting to find out more updates from Salah after the game.
How did Mohamed Salah perform against Brighton?
We have no idea if that was Salah’s final game for Liverpool but if it was, he went out playing the way we know he can.
After being left out in midweek, Salah immediately gave Liverpool extra cutting edge in attack as he was a real threat on the counter and tried to play in several of his teammates as he led Liverpool’s fluid attacks. His corner to the back post for Ekitike’s second was spot on and reminded everyone of his quality.
Salah created five chances, had four shots and eight touches in the opposition penalty box in just over an hour on the pitch. Not too shabby.
His assist on Saturday means he now has 277 goal involvements for Liverpool in the Premier League (188 goals, 89 assists), which is the all-time record by a player for a single club in the competition.
At the final whistle Salah saluted to the Liverpool fans as his name was sung throughout and he seemed to genuinely appreciate the support he was getting after a tough week. We will wait and see what the next few weeks bring in terms of his long-term future but Salah reminded everyone just how good he is with his overall display crucial to Liverpool’s win.
How have we got to this point?
After Arne Slot held talks with Salah on Friday, the superstar was recalled to the Liverpool matchday squad for the Brighton game after being left out for the trip to Inter Milan in midweek.
Salah, 33, was dropped after his incredible outburst last weekend as he responded angrily to being a substitute for three games in a row and claimed that he had ‘no relationship’ with Slot and he was ‘being thrown under the bus’ by the club amid Liverpool’s poor form.
Before the game Arne Slot was asked if he is happy with the current situation with Mohamed Salah: “Yes of course, otherwise I would have done probably differently,” Slot said. “He’s back in the squad and on the bench today.”
The Egyptian King is heading to the Africa Cup of Nations this weekend to captain Egypt, so this will be his final chance to appear for Liverpool in 2025.
It could also be his final ever appearance for Liverpool, as his future at the club remains uncertain and the January transfer window opens in just a few weeks.
