On Mohamed Salah's face, an unbelievable look is clearly visible, when he smiles awkwardly under the sun at Anfield. And it seems that things cannot end in this way.
In that moment, everything became familiar again. When Liverpool was leading Crystal Palace 2-0, Salah accelerated on the right wing with a familiar handling, before unleashing a delicate backheel for Dominik Szoboszlai in the penalty area.
But then, the whole space suddenly fell silent when the fans realized something unusual. Salah knelt down on the field, hugged his left hamstring, his eyes looking up at the blue sky without clouds. He understood that his penultimate match at Anfield had ended, and perhaps, the journey in Liverpool's colors would also come to an end.
The whole Anfield simultaneously stood up and applauded in gratitude. Salah responded with applause towards the four stands, enjoying the moment of leaving the field. After 439 appearances and 257 goals, is this the ending for him?
We don't know exactly. There may still be a chance for him to return, but the season is only a few weeks away and the remaining matches are not many. We have to wait for the test results" - head coach Arne Slot shared.
Salah knew many weeks ago that he would leave Liverpool at the end of May after reaching an early contract termination agreement. However, few people expected the final chapter to take place in such a passive way.
Even if the team leads 6-0 and I substitute him a few minutes before the end of the match, he will still say that he can score 2 more goals. Salah's departure shows that there is a problem, but we need to wait to assess the extent of the injury" - Slot said.
This is a difficult season for Salah, as he is involved in public conflicts with Slot and cannot create stability. The Kop is also no longer a real candidate for titles, and Salah's personal performance clearly reflects that.
21 times directly participating in goals is his lowest achievement at the club, completely opposite to last season - when Salah scored 34 goals and had 23 assists. Salah's injury also partly reflects Liverpool's bad luck.
The "Red Brigade" will face Manchester United, Chelsea, and Aston Villa in turn before closing the season with a match against Brentford. And Salah is racing against time to return in time.
Salah always takes good care of his body, so he will have time to recover. Hopefully he can be present in the final stage" - Slot added.
But if he no longer has the opportunity to perform another familiar acceleration on the right flank at Anfield, Salah's journey in Liverpool's colors will end in an unfinished way. For a player who is always used to writing his own ending, this may be a rare time he does not have the opportunity to complete the story.
