The moment he set foot on the field, Mohamed Salah received a standing ovation from the Liverpool fans at Anfield. He not only returned to the field, but he came back with a huge bang against their opponent Brighton on 13 December. It was Salah’s day where he showed his fans the “old Salah”.
Thousands of fans in the stadium and those watching all over the world went into a frenzy when Salah came off the bench in the first half, replacing the injured Joe Gomez after 26 minutes, and delivered an assist in the 2-0 win as he overtook Wayne Rooney for most goals and assists for one club in Premier League history.
A day before the game against Brighton, there was news that Salah had been recalled to the Liverpool squad for Saturday’s match and that talks between Salah and coach Arne Slot were positive. Media reports say the row between them is not fully resolved, but joining the squad was a first step.
Salah stopped after the game to appreciate the home fans who were singing his name all afternoon, but gave little away whether this could be his farewell game with Liverpool.
Skysports reported that Slot brought Salah into the squad after they held talks on Friday. He also told the media about how Salah was a threat in the game. “He was constantly involved in the threat we had. It was pleasing to see but also not a surprise because he’s done that many times in a Liverpool shirt.”
Salah made a big impact off the bench, setting up Hugo Ekitike’s second, in his final game before leaving for AFCON with Egypt.
The Egyptian king is now the third in all-time goals with 280 following Alan Shearer with 324 and Wayne Rooney with 311.
The 33-year-old forward, who has won both the UEFA Champions League and two Premier League titles with the Anfield-based club, caused controversy with his reaction to being named on the bench for the 3-3 draw with Leeds United. In that game on 6 December Salah told reporters he felt like Liverpool was “throwing me under the bus”.
Salah joins up with the Egypt national team for the Africa Cup of Nations and could miss up to eight Liverpool games if his country goes all the way to the final on 18 January.
Some media reports suggest that Salah has received an $82 million offer from the Saudi Pro League.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 18 December, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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