Mo Salah returned to the fray with Liverpool against Brighton on Saturday afternoon, after a week where he has dominated headlines.
After his extraordinary post-match tirade at Elland Road last week, Salah was dropped from the squad for the Champions League trip to Milan on Tuesday.
Recommended
However, after "positive" discussions with manager Arne Slot, the three-time Premier League Player of the Year was named on the bench for the visit of Brighton to Anfield on Saturday.
An early injury to Joe Gomez meant that Salah would ultimately get significantly more game time than he may have expected, and he laid on a second-half assist for Hugo Ekitike to secure a 2-0 win for Liverpool.
It was certainly one of the brighter performances this season so far from Salah, and he received a warm reception from the home fans despite his outburst last week.
As Salah reciprocated with some post-match applause for the fans, the Premier Sports panel speculated on whether it may have been his last game for Liverpool.
Advertisement
READ HERE:Quiz: Name The 21st-Century European Final Venues
READ HERE:Roma Boss Gasperini Changes Tune On Evan Ferguson After Sensational Celtic Park Brace
Shay Given talks down Mo Salah theory after Liverpool return
Mo Salah was taking it all in on the pitch post-match on Saturday, giving some hearty applause back to the Liverpool fans who had given him a warm welcome when he was introduced off the bench.
Advertisement
Salah after the Brighton game. pic.twitter.com/cZUcaaC2lV
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) December 13, 2025
Advertisement
During the rant that saw him dropped for the Inter Milan tie, Salah had hinted that Saturday's clash with Brighton could be his final outing with Liverpool, as he jets off for AFCON this week.
Post-match, Shay Given and Damien Delaney discussed whether we had seen Salah lining out in a Liverpool jersey for the last time.
Our panel react to Liverpool's 2-0 win against Brighton this afternoon! 🔴
"Maybe the crisis is over" 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/sMLAxSuUYF
— Premier Sports Ireland (@PremSportsIRL) December 13, 2025
Advertisement
Host Eoin McDevitt noted that Salah almost looked "emotional" as he went around the pitch, and questioned whether that could suggest he was ready to finish up.
Shay Given entertained the idea, but ultimately said he was confident that Salah would still be a Liverpool player next month.
He played really well as well, Mo Salah, nice to see him back in a Liverpool shirt. I wonder will it be the last time?
Arne Slot hasn't done a lot wrong. Mo Salah had the outburst last week and then [Slot] had to manage the situation every time he did a press conference, he had to respond. Obviously, they had talks yesterday.
You see Mo clapping...I don't think he's waving to fans as though it's his last game, I think he's just applauding the fans. That's my read of the situation.
I think we'll see Mo Salah back after AFCON back in a red shirt.
We didn't really know the full message off Arne Slot. I think if you saw Mo Salah waving to the crowd, kissing the badge and all that stuff, that could be his last appearance. But them shots, he's just saying thank you to the fans.
Like Given, Damien Delaney was full of praise for Mo Salah's performance off the bench, and said that both player and club would surely hope to find a long-term solution to the recent rift.
He came on and he had a bounce in his step, he looked really, really good, looked really sharp. He was involved in the buildup [play], which so often in the past when Liverpool are building up, he's stood out on the right wing. His inter-play around the halfway line was super.
They were doing their best to get him a goal at the end.
If they do manage to put all their differences aside and get back to the form he was showing especially today, it would be great for Liverpool.
We will have much more clarity on Mo Salah's Liverpool future when he returns from the Africa Cup of Nations next month.
For now, though, he appears to be back in the good books of the vast majority at Anfield.
SEE ALSO:Fixing The RTE Sports Person Of The Year Awards
RTÉ Sports Awards