Mohamed Salah signs off Liverpool career with an assist during Brentford draw

Mohamed Salah nearly ended his Liverpool career with a spectacular moment but contributed an assist in a 1-1 draw with Brentford that guaranteed Champions League football. After posting criticism of Liverpool’s style of play on social media, he pledged to do everything possible to return to Europe’s elite competition. He delivered with a trademark outside-of-the-left-boot cross for Curtis Jones to score, though other results made the outcome largely academic. Salah also struck a first-half free-kick that bent around the wall and rebounded off the upright. He laid on the opener with precise timing, and VAR confirmed the goal despite early offside suspicion. The match featured applause for Jordan Henderson and a guard of honour for Salah after Arne Slot substituted him in the 74th minute, followed by Salah kissing the Anfield turf.

"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."

"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."

Read at Irish Independent