One way or another, for better or for worse, Mohamed Salah was always likely to be a key storyline this weekend at Anfield. The Liverpool man does tend to be, but that was heightened for obvious reasons this week.

After a seven-day period in which he dominated the headlines for the wrong reasons, causing an unwanted headache for Arne Slot, Salah was brought on unexpectedly early as the Reds beat Brighton — and he played well.

Though he didn’t score, Salah set a new Premier League record for goal involvements at a single club. The Egyptian took his combined tally of goals and assists in the top flight for Liverpool to 277.

Salah now has 188 goals and 89 assists in the Premier League since joining the Reds in 2017, and he therefore moved clear of Wayne Rooney on the highest number of goal involvements for one team (he, of course, did it for Manchester United).

On the pitch, showing plenty of desire to run back and a level of unselfishness not always associated with him, Salah clearly felt that he needed to prove a point.

After such explosive comments in the mixed zone at Elland Road, he would be right. It would be a travesty if this were the final appearance that Salah makes for Liverpool, but it didn’t feel like it.

Mohamed Salah in action for Liverpool against Brighton. (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

The lap of honor conducted at the end felt more like a thanks for singing his song than anything else. His post on social media a couple of hours after the final whistle probably falls into the same bracket.

When he walked through the mixed zone at Anfield, he was a lot calmer this time around. Asked to stop, he politely declined with a smile: "Two weeks in a row? No, no!"

"He is a Liverpool player and when he is here, I like to use him when we need him," Slot said. "Today, he didn’t start as he did for a few games before, but in the one and a half seasons before, he started almost every game.

"He had the performance like you would want him to give. He was close to another assist; he was shocked to see Virgil [van Dijk] next to him in that long sprint; he was close to scoring when Fede [Chiesa] assisted him.

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"He was a threat, which is very important. When you play with attackers, you hope he is a threat to the other team. Hugo [Ekitike] and Florian [Wirtz] were that also."

Salah showed on the pitch what he offers Liverpool and the quality that he has. When he is performing, he remains a difference-maker, even if his spot on the team is no longer guaranteed.

Additionally, against Brighton, he made a mockery of the myth that he can’t play in this Liverpool new-look system and showed a real willingness to knuckle down and let his football do the talking. That has to be the hope when he returns from AFCON.

A win and Salah's reintegration: after a tricky few days that Slot has navigated well and emerged from in a stronger position, the Liverpool boss couldn’t really have asked for anything more.

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James Milner said it was a "special moment" to return to Anfield and play for Brighton while wearing 20 on the back of his jersey.

Milner wore the No. 6 during his first two seasons with the South Coast club, but switched to No. 20 during the summer following the tragic passing of Liverpool player Diogo Jota, who wore 20 for Liverpool.

The 39-year-old came on as a late substitute during Brighton's 2-0 loss to Liverpool on Saturday, and took to social media after the game, writing: "Disappointing result but happy to be back out on the pitch and a special moment to play at Anfield wearing the 20. A massive thank you for the incredible welcome from the Anfield crowd. YNWA."

Milner received a standing ovation as he entered the Anfield pitch wearing Jota's old number in the final few minutes of the game.

Speaking ahead of the start of the 2025-26 season, Milner explained his decision to switch squad numbers, telling Brighton media in August: "Once I heard Carlos [Baleba] was looking to change his number and 20 was available, I wanted to do it as a mark of respect and to obviously pay tribute to Diogo Jota.

"He was an amazing player, who I was fortunate to play with, and he was a great friend as well. It will be a great honour to wear his number in the Premier League this year."

Speaking about Jota after his death in July, Milner said: "Every week I love watching the guy as a player and I loved training with him but, more importantly than as a player, as a guy he was incredible. He was someone you could put in any corner of the dressing room and people loved him.

Milner and Diogo Jota were friends at Liverpool (Image: 2022 Liverpool FC)

"Me and him had so many fun days together winding each other up. He's such a stubborn guy like myself. We had so much fun together.

"He was such an amazing family man and just someone you wanted to be around. He'll be missed by everyone. He was a truly amazing player and even better guy - an unbelievable guy to be around. He'll be missed by everyone who knew him and everyone in the footballing world for sure."

Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate swapped jerseys with Milner at the end of Saturday's game, with the Frenchman taking to Instagram to share a picture of the Brighton veteran's jersey.

Milner's appearance at Anfield was his 646th in the Premier League, and he is now just seven appearances away from Gareth Barry's all-time record of 653.

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A former Liverpool defender thinks that Mohamed Salah's comments at Leeds last weekend have actually pulled the squad closer together.

The week leading up to Liverpool's win over Brighton on Saturday was dominated by talk over whether Salah would ever play for the club again following his chat with reporters in the Elland Road mixed zone.

Salah was dropped from the squad that traveled to Milan in the Champions League in midweek, but was back on the bench against Brighton. An early injury to Joe Gomez saw Salah introduced in the first half, and he played his part in securing a much-needed top-flight win – Liverpool's first at Anfield since Nov. 1.

Speaking on BBC's Final Score, former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock suggested that Salah's comments might have actually had a positive effect on the squad.

"There's a microscope on the football club," Warnock said. "There has been a lot of talk around Liverpool and the response. The actual interview has spurred Liverpool on and made them a tighter-knit group. A siege mentality in the changing room.

"Two clean sheets on the bounce — that's vitally important. It is making sure that you know you're tough to beat."

Meanwhile, Salah took to social media after the win to share footage of him being serenaded by Liverpool's supporters following the final whistle.

Salah produced one of his brightest performances of the season against the Seagulls, and after full-time he stayed out on the field for longer than any of his teammates as he applauded the thousands of supporters who had stayed behind to sing his name.

The Egyptian posted footage of that brilliant moment on social media after the game, and Liverpool fans will now hope that draws a line under a matter which has dominated the Premier League news agenda for the last week.

Salah will now jet off to link up with his Egypt teammates ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, which will see him miss the remainder of Liverpool's games in 2025.

Considering Salah's jovial mood after the game, it seems likely that he will return to the Liverpool squad for the second half of the season rather than seek an exit after the continental tournament – there was certainly no sense that he was waving good bye to Liverpool's fans for good after the final whistle.

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The Premier League has provided an explanation after Brighton player Diego Gomez avoided a red card for a dangerous challenge on Liverpool's Florian Wirtz.

Liverpool took the lead after just 48 seconds after Hugo Ekitike converted his first opportunity, set up by Joe Gomez’s header high up the pitch.

Brighton have kept Liverpool on alert, forcing Alisson into a key save, while the Reds have struggled to test Verbruggen, squandering several chances in front of goal.

In stoppage time in the first-half, Wirtz was brought down by a high tackle from Gomez, striking his midriff, but after a VAR review, officials decided not to intervene.

Wirtz clutched his chest after attempting to flick the ball past Gomez on the edge of the box, only for the Brighton midfielder’s outstretched leg to follow through and strike his stomach.

The Premier League has taken to X/Twitter to explain the decision. It said: “The referee’s call of yellow card to Gomez was checked and confirmed by VAR – with the challenge on Wirtz deemed not to be with excessive force and not serious foul play.”

Although the Paraguay international avoided an immediate dismissal, Gomez’s fifth yellow card of the season means he will miss Brighton’s next match against Sunderland.

Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton believes Brighton are lucky not to be down to 10 me. "The challenge on Wirtz is a really poor one from Gomez" said Sutton on BBC Radio 5 Live live at Anfield.

Diego Gomez was booked for his challenge on Florian Wirtz

It's really high and catches Wirtz in the stomach. He must've been booked from that? So high and dangerous. Another day, he could've seen red.

Liverpool fans have taken to social media to express their shock at the decision. One said: "This should have been a red card for the foul on Wirtz from Diego Gomez."

On Liverpool's performance in the first-half, Sutton added: Arne Slot wanted a fast start, all the talk about Salah before the game, and they did get a fast start.

"Ekitike who has had a really good start to his Liverpool career with a ruthless finish. It's been a good game though because you feel like there's something still in it for Brighton."

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Joe Gomez has handed Liverpool a fresh injury concern after being forced off with an injury during the first half of Liverpool's game against Brighton.

The England defender lined up at right-back for the Premier League meeting with the Seagulls but lasted less than half an hour, with Mohamed Salah coming on in his place.

Gomez has struggled with injuries throughout his career, and the last year has seen him suffer a number of problems, with a hamstring problem sidelining him for the second half of last season.

Gomez's withdrawal forced Dominik Szoboszlai back to right-back, due to the a lack of suitable options on the Liverpool bench to replace the 28-year-old.

Jeremie Frimpong remains sidelined with a hamstring problem, while Conor Bradley was suspended for the game against Brighton after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against Leeds last weekend.

Young center-back Giovanni Leoni remains sidelined with a long-term knee injury, while Wataru Endo, another possible option to play in defense, is out with an ankle injury.

Liverpool's defensive injury situation meant that the only genuine defenders named on the bench against Brighton were Andy Robertson, Wellity Lucky and Calvin Ramsay.

Gomez came in for praise from Arne Slot earlier this month after returning to the team for the victory over West Ham.

Slot said that the defender possessed the rare quality of being able to play at a high level regardless of how long he had been sidelined for.

“It’s a skillset he has,” Slot said in a press conference. “After a long time not playing you can play him again and he just performs as he did before that.

“That’s something that’s not easy, because I’ve worked with more than a few players that, after a certain amount of time without playing, it’s difficult to get to a certain standard again. So it’s definitely one of his skillsets.”

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Mohamed Salah’s return to Liverpool’s squad against Brighton drew immediate reactions from supporters, with fans quickly making their feelings known about the forward’s situation.

Last week, Salah claimed he had no relationship with Liverpool’s head coach Arne Slot, making several explosive remarks in a bombshell interview following the 3-3 draw at Leeds United.

Speaking to reporters after watching the match from the bench at Elland Road, he accused the club of breaking promises made when he signed a new contract and described the situation as “not acceptable.”

His comments subsequently led to his omission from the squad for Liverpool’s midweek trip to face Inter Milan in the Champions League.

Salah returned to the squad for Saturday’s clash against Brighton after holding talks with Slot at the AXA Training Centre on Friday, though the details of their discussions remain unclear.

The 33-year-old didn't return to the starting XI but remained on the bench for his fourth game. Ahead of the game, Salah received a warm round of applause as he headed down the tunnel after the warm-up and reciprocated the gesture.

Salah received loud cheers and applause after he replaced Joe Gomez who was forced off with an injury after just 25 minutes.

Around this time last year, a banner appeared on the Kop depicting Salah with the words: “FSG. He fires a bow, now give Mo his dough!” By April, Salah was celebrated on a throne inside Anfield to mark his new contract, and just over two weeks later, Liverpool secured the Premier League title.

Fast forward eight months, and the 33-year-old found himself out of the starting XI, embroiled in a public dispute with the club and Slot. In a damning statement regarding his relationship with Slot, Salah replied to a question about how the pair get along behind the scenes. "Yeah, there's no relationship between us," he said. "It was very good relationship and now all of a sudden there is no relationship."

"After what I have done for the club it really hurts," Salah added. "You can imagine, really. After going from home to the club and you don’t know if you are starting.

"I know the club too well, I have been here many years. Tomorrow Carragher is going to go for me again and again and that’s fine."

He was also questioned on whether he regretted signing the new two-year contract earlier this year. "Imagine how bad that I have to answer it, honestly," Salah said. "That hurts, even the question hurts. This club, signing for this club, I will never regret it.

"I thought 'I'm going to renew here and end my career here', but this is not according to the plan, so I'm not regretting signing for the club for sure."

Liverpool.com says: Salah's decision to air his frustrations following a match he didn’t play, in which Liverpool dropped points, left fans divided but the reaction from those at Anfield but the reaction today shows they are firmly behind the Egyptian.

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