Salah's farewell? If this was his final Liverpool chapter, he delivered a fitting end

If this is to be the end for Mohamed Salah at Liverpool, it could hardly have been a more fitting finale. Seven days after his incendiary interview at Elland Road, one of Anfield's all-time greats added yet another individual accolade to his imperious collection as Arne Slot's side beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 in the Premier League.

With his assist for Hugo Ekitike in the second half, Salah overtook Wayne Rooney to claim the record for goal contributions by a player for a single club in the Premier League era, with 188 goals and 89 assists. He could have added further gloss to that tally had he not spurned a glorious late opportunity to put Liverpool 3-0 up in front of the Kop.

Those two incidents alone serve as a microcosm of Slot's dilemma as he tries to determine exactly where his aging superstar should fit into his team's evolving ecosystem. Against Brighton, the 33-year-old Salah was not at his prolific best, yet his impact on the game after being introduced from the bench in the first half was impossible to refute.

- Salah's last Liverpool game? Slot wants him to stay, has 'no issue'
- Marcotti: Don't turn Liverpool chaos into Arne Slot vs. Mohamed Salah
- Salah makes Premier League history on Liverpool return

Salah has found himself at the eye of a storm of his own making this week, after his sensational claims that he had been "thrown under the bus" by Liverpool amid their torrid recent run of form. Attempting to quieten the noise, the club's hierarchy -- in consultation with Slot -- left him out of the traveling party to Italy in midweek; a decision that was vindicated by Liverpool's 1-0 victory over Inter Milan at San Siro.

But a player of Salah's almost celestial status was never going to be out of the spotlight for long, and he was restored to the matchday squad against Brighton after positive talks with Slot at the club's AXA Training Centre on Friday. Though he was only named on the bench, the forward remained the ringmaster in this particular media circus, with the cameras homing in on him as he warmed up alongside the substitutes prematch.

If it is Salah who represents Liverpool's illustrious past, it is Ekitike who is the most promising symbol of their future. The Frenchman wasted no time in making his mark on this contest, scoring inside 46 seconds to put the hosts ahead after a miscued pass from Yankuba Minteh. The Brighton forward's error might have presented him with an early Christmas present, but Ekitike finished with aplomb, and doubled his tally for the afternoon when he nodded home from Salah's corner after the break.

While some of Liverpool's summer signings -- including the £125 million Alexander Isak -- have struggled to live up to their billing since moving to Merseyside, Ekitike has thrived under the pressure. He now has seven league goals for the Premier League champions this term.

But, inevitably, it was Salah who became the story when he was brought off the bench to replace to replace injured defender Joe Gomez in the 26th minute. He almost made an instant impact when he teed up Alexis Mac Allister inside the penalty area mere seconds after his introduction, setting the tone for a typically dynamic display from the Egypt international.

That Salah occasionally lacked an incisive edge -- both in terms of his passing and his finishing -- is emblematic of the fact that he is no longer a player operating at the peak of his powers. But, while Father Time might well be catching up to him, the forward showed against Brighton that he still has plenty to offer.

"He wasn't involved in the game against Milan, I spoke to him the day before the game," Slot said in his postmatch news conference. "I never speak about what I talk about with players and I am not going to make an exception now, but actions speak louder than words and he was in the squad again. When I had to had to make my first substitutions I brought him in and he performed as every fan wanted him to, including me, would like him to perform."

play

2:13

Slot on Salah's future at Liverpool: 'You already know the answer'

Arne Slot speaks about Mohamed Salah's future at Liverpool after his performance vs. Brighton.

For the Liverpool boss, there was much to like about Salah's display and that of his team. The Reds have not yet recovered the air of invincibility that underscored their procession to last season's title but they are now five games unbeaten in all competitions, with several individuals playing with a swagger that has evaded them for much of the campaign.

Brighton had opportunities at Anfield -- attacker Diego Gómez forced a fine save from Alisson Becker in the first half -- but the individual errors that have dogged Liverpool for much of this term were absent from a largely assured display against Fabian Hurzeler's upwardly mobile side. At the full-time whistle, all eyes once again turned to Salah as he made his way around the pitch, applauding supporters and soaking up their ovation. It did not look like a goodbye, though the forward will temporarily depart on Sunday to participate at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Slot could not give a definitive answer after the game as to whether Salah had played his final game for the club, but the presiding sentiment from the Dutchman and almost everyone else inside Anfield is that Salah still has at least a few more chapters in his Liverpool love story.

The Egypt international was all smiles as he made his way through the postmatch mixed zone, politely declining the opportunity to speak with the journalists to whom he had poured out his heart only a week earlier.

"Two weeks in a row?" he cheekily quipped. "No."

On this occasion, perhaps his actions spoke louder than words. Salah did not look like a man who is headed for the exit door. For his own sake and for Liverpool's, he might be wise to do his talking on the pitch from now on.