Mohamed Salah received a standing ovation from the Anfield crowd as he entered the fray as a first-half substitute for Joe Gomez against Brighton. The Egyptian talisman found himself among the substitutes for the fourth straight Premier League game, amid ongoing friction with Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.
Following his demotion to the bench for matches against West Ham, Sunderland and Leeds - remaining unused entirely in the fixtures against the Hammers and the Whites - Salah delivered a scathing assessment of his treatment by the Dutch boss, insisting their relationship had completely broken down.
Speaking after the 3-3 draw at Elland Road, he said: "I don't know what to say. It's kind of funny, I couldn't believe it. It's a disappointing result for us as a team. We conceded silly goals. I could not help my team-mates because I am on the bench. I could not believe I was sitting on the bench for 90 minutes.
"That's the third time. It's the first time in my career I think. I am very disappointed, I have done so much for this club over years, especially last season, It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus."
"That's how I feel it. Someone wants me to get all the blame. The club promised me a lot in summer. Now, I'm on bench, so I can say they haven't kept those promises.
"I used to have a good relationship [with Slot]. Now we don't have any relationship and I don't know why. [It] seems like someone does not want me in the club."
Salah made a promising return off the bench against Brighton and was quickly involved, with Dominik Szoboszlai moving to right-back following the injury to Gomez.
Slot will be hopeful that Salah remains at his disposal long-term, despite links to the Saudi Pro League, and also optimistic that Gomez's injury is not serious.
Fellow right-backs Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley have both been sidelined this season, forcing Szoboszlai to deputise in another new role.