Mohamed Salah was forced off before the hour mark against Crystal Palace with a suspected hamstring injury, and applauded all four sides of Anfield as he left the pitch after Liverpool moved on to a 3-1 win.
The game turned on a string of key moments. In the 25th minute Brennan Johnson was judged to have fouled Salah in the box and a penalty was briefly awarded before the decision was overturned on VAR review. Alexander Isak then broke the deadlock in the 36th minute with his first Premier League goal at Anfield, and Andy Robertson doubled the lead five minutes before half-time.
Salah pulled up and exited the match before the hour mark while Liverpool were 2-0 ahead. After his withdrawal Crystal Palace narrowed the score with a controversial Daniel Munoz goal, but Liverpool held on to win 3-1. Arne Slot named Alexis Mac Allister ahead of Ryan Gravenberch in the starting line-up, and Curtis Jones was used at right-back ahead of Jeremie Frimpong.
The facts gained sharper edges after the final whistle. Salah, 33 years old, has announced his impending departure at the end of the season and is set to leave on a free transfer this summer after a nine-year spell at Anfield — details that make the timing of the injury especially significant. Liverpool now have four fixtures left this season, with Manchester United next Sunday, Chelsea visiting Anfield on May 9, and the campaign closing at home to Brentford.
The tension in Liverpool’s victory was not on the scoreline. It was the gap between the farewell gestures and the physical reality: Salah applauded every stand as he left, an image of a player saying goodbye, and yet a suspected hamstring puts the prospect of a proper final curtain at risk. The overturned penalty and the later Munoz goal added controversy to a match that otherwise should have been a straightforward step toward season’s end.
For supporters and the club the immediate question is clinical and calendar-driven. With four matches remaining, including next Sunday’s trip to Manchester United and a home meeting with Chelsea on May 9, Liverpool must now assess whether Salah can recover in time to take the field again — and whether those appearances will include what may be his last at Anfield.
Medical updates will decide whether Saturday’s walk around the pitch was a farewell moment or an interruption. Until then, Liverpool’s preparations for next Sunday and the final run of fixtures will proceed under the uncertainty created when Salah, the club’s announced departing forward, left the field with a suspected hamstring.
