Mohamed Salah might have played his final game for Liverpool after appearing as a substitute against Brighton on Saturday.

The Anfield crowd cheered Salah’s name when the stadium announcer read his name before kick-off, with the supporters making it clear which side of the fence they stand on over the saga on Merseyside.

Arne Slot axed Salah from the squad against Inter Milan following the player’s explosive interview, having been left on the bench for three successive games, but he returned as a substitute on 13 December.

After just 26 minutes, the club legend was called upon, with Joe Gomez pulling up with an injury, and he was clearly in the mood as the Reds put the Seagulls to the sword at Anfield.

Hugo Ekitike scored the opener in the first minute, bagging his brace on the hour mark, and it was the Egyptian who delivered the corner for the second goal, seeing him break yet another Premier League record.

Mohamed Salah may have played his final game for Liverpool

Salah has been heavily linked with a Liverpool exit this summer, even more so after his public falling-out, and the player appeared to wave goodbye to the Anfield faithful after the win over Brighton.

The 33-year-old is set to jet out to AFCON in the coming days, and with the tournament finishing in January, a deal could be in place for his departure by the time he returns from Africa.

Sky Sports showed a clip of the player doing a lap of the pitch after kick-off with what appeared to be tears in his eyes, with fans singing his name, suggesting that he could have played his final game for the Reds.

Emi Martinez did something similar at Aston Villa after their final home game of the 2024-25 campaign, though the Argentine shot-stopper remains at Villa Park, at least for now.

Salah’s substitute appearance in numbers vs Brighton

As well as grabbing an assist, Salah probably should have scored at least one goal, seeing one of his efforts fly over the crossbar, while also creating five chances – the most of anyone on the pitch [FotMob].

He had eight touches in the opposition’s penalty area, attempted three dribbles, made five recoveries, and even entered into a total of six duels, winning a foul on one occasion.

It was almost as if the 33-year-old was playing like he had a point to prove, and with his performances left on a high before jetting off to AFCON, he should be in a positive mindset ahead of the January window.

If Liverpool are to lose Salah next month, it will be extremely difficult to replace him, but the club should be preparing for the worst while also hoping for the best. Anything could happen in January.