Mohamed Salah came within the width of a post of signing off his Liverpool career in spectacular style but could at least claim an assist in the 1-1 draw with Brentford which guaranteed Champions League football.
Within last week’s social media post criticising the style of play was a pledge by the Egypt international to do everything he could to ensure a return to Europe’s elite club competition.
He did at least deliver on that with a trademark outside-of-the-left boot cross for Curtis Jones to bundle home, although Bournemouth’s draw at Nottingham Forest made it academic.
And while Kevin Schade’s diving-header equaliser somewhat spoiled the narrative, there was no doubting who the afternoon belonged to.
Salah’s first-half free-kick bent around the wall, leaving former Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher standing and watching as it rebounded off the upright, was the closest he came to adding to his 193 Premier League goals.
But the next best thing was laying on the cross for the opener, typically timing his run to perfection to race on to Ryan Gravenberch’s hooked through-ball, to drive low across the six-yard area.
The celebrations never really got off the ground as there was a suspicion of offside and when VAR cleared it, the biggest noise was not for the goal but the substitution of former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, with all his ex-team-mates joining in the applause.
That was nothing compared to the reception when head coach Arne Slot, with whom the Egyptian has had his high-profile disagreements, made the surprise decision to substitute him in the 74th minute.
Liverpool’s players lined up to form an impromptu guard of honour and having taken their congratulations he knelt to kiss the Anfield turf one last time, accepting a brief embrace from Slot before taking his seat on the bench.
