Mohamed Salah may have played his last game for Liverpool after being injured against Crystal Palace. The Egyptian star limped off with a hamstring injury during Liverpool's 3-1 Premier League victory, potentially ending his final season at Anfield prematurely. Salah applauded all four sides of the ground before heading straight down the tunnel, casting doubt on his return.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot said: "We don't know the extent of the injury. But the season is over in four or five weeks, so that's not a lot of games. We have to see if he can return. Mo has taken such good care of his body that he needs the minimum time to recover. Let's hope for the best."
The win was overshadowed by fan protests against Liverpool's decision to increase ticket prices for the next three seasons. Chants of "You greedy bastards, enough is enough" echoed around Anfield as the majority of fans showed yellow cards to owner Fenway Sports Group. Despite the discontent, Slot's side moved closer to Champions League qualification with their first win in four meetings with Crystal Palace this season.
Match Action
The game was tightly contested, with Crystal Palace aggrieved by a controversial goal. Palace manager Oliver Glasner noted: "The difference was efficiency. Liverpool took their half chances and we missed our big chances." Palace started well, but Liverpool's performance improved after a penalty decision was overturned when Salah went down following a challenge from Brennan Johnson. Referee Andy Madley reversed his initial call after a pitch-side review confirmed Johnson played the ball first.
Liverpool took control with two goals in five minutes. Salah was instrumental, muscling past Jaydee Canvot to break into the area. His cross was headed away by Chris Richards, but Alexis Mac Allister's shot was controlled by Alexander Isak, who swept his second touch into the net for his first league goal at Anfield.
Second Half Drama
Liverpool doubled their lead from a counterattack initiated by goalkeeper Freddie Woodman's superb save from Jean-Philippe Mateta. Woodman, making his first league start for Liverpool, tipped away the center-forward's header. Mateta was offside, but the advantage was played as Liverpool broke through Ibrahima Konate, Florian Wirtz, and Curtis Jones, who split the defense with a pass to Andy Robertson. The Scotland captain sprinted on and finished clinically into the far corner.
Woodman made another fine save to deny Maxence Lacroix from a corner, prompting chants of "England's No 1" from the Kop. However, controversy arose when Woodman injured his knee racing off his line to block a shot from Ismaïla Sarr. As the keeper raised his arm for treatment, Palace wingback Daniel Munoz chipped the rebound into an unguarded net. Slot and Virgil van Dijk argued with the Palace bench, but Glasner rejected calls for Liverpool to be gifted a goal, stating: "To demand the referee stop the game can be dangerous for the future."
Munoz was booed every time he touched the ball and was hit on the head with a ball by a Liverpool fan when taking a throw-in. Palace wasted several clear chances, with Jorgen Strand Larsen hitting both posts after being played through by Adam Wharton. However, Wirtz sealed the victory with a superb stoppage-time finish.
