Salah has final say on day of 'special' Liverpool celebrations

It had to beryllium Mohamed Salah.

With conscionable six minutes near of what has been a memorable title-winning run for Liverpool, the Egypt guardant deed a record-equalling extremity against Crystal Palace connected Sunday to guarantee the play finale enactment astatine Anfield did not travel a defeat.

The extremity was Salah's 29th successful the league and that tally, on with his 18 assists, meant helium moved level with Alan Shearer and Andy Cole for the astir extremity involvements successful a Premier League season.

It besides meant helium secured a 4th Golden Boot, equalling the grounds held by Arsenal fable Thierry Henry.

"Mo Salah has had an unthinkable season," erstwhile Arsenal and Manchester City guardant Ellen White said connected BBC Radio 5 live.

"Not lone is helium prolific successful beforehand of extremity but helium is originative arsenic well.

"He showed large professionalism erstwhile determination was truthful overmuch speech astir his declaration and helium conscionable got amended and amended arsenic the play went on.

"It's large that we get to spot him successful the Premier League for different mates of seasons."

Salah's extremity and his important publication to Liverpool's record-equalling 20th league rubric triumph - that moves them associated level with Manchester United - was 1 of galore things being celebrated connected a time that volition unrecorded agelong successful the representation of the club's fans.

The Reds, of course, won the Premier League successful 2020 but that was during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the rubric secured successful bare stadiums due to the fact that radical were banned from gathering successful ample numbers.

That meant this was the archetypal clip Liverpool's players and supporters were capable to observe lifting the trophy unneurotic since 1990, and lad did they savour it.

The enactment ambiance started agelong earlier kick-off connected a sunny time successful Liverpool, with the streets astir Anfield a oversea of reddish arsenic supporters gathered successful immense numbers, careless of whether they had a summons for the lucifer oregon not.

With Crystal Palace having won the FA Cup past week, their fans had besides get successful enactment tone and determination was a classy infinitesimal earlier kick-off when, aft receiving a defender of honour by the Palace players, the location squad formed 1 of their ain to people the Eagles' trophy success.

A big of Liverpool legends were successful attendance including erstwhile Reds brag Jurgen Klopp, portion their erstwhile skipper Alan Hansen returned to Anfield aft recovering from a superior wellness contented to contiguous the trophy astatine full-time.

Even erstwhile Ismaila Sarr enactment Palace ahead, the Kop did not skip a bushed arsenic they worked their mode done a catalogue of Liverpool songs.

But Salah's extremity and the full-time whistle resulted successful the loudest cheer possibly ever heard for a 1-1 gully arsenic Liverpool ensured determination was to beryllium nary end-of-season blemish connected the campaign.

"These players and these fans hatred losing and that is what they showed today," said Reds brag Arne Slot.

"It Is 35 years since the fans could beryllium portion of it. Everyone could spot what it meant to them and that is what makes it special.

"You play shot for yourself and your household but besides for the fans and these ones are special."

No-one was successful immoderate temper for negativity, truthful it was a bully interaction that Trent Alexander-Arnold was cheered onto the transportation arsenic a half-time substitute to play his last 45 minutes successful a Liverpool shirt.

Having been booed by immoderate Reds' fans astatine Anfield successful the crippled aft announcing helium would extremity his two-decade agelong relation with the nine astatine the extremity of the season, the effect this clip was lone affirmative arsenic his archetypal interaction of the shot was greeted by immense applause.

There were much large cheers erstwhile helium was presented with the trophy and the full-back struggled to clasp backmost the tears arsenic helium hugged his team-mates for a last clip connected the Anfield pitch.

"I didn't cognize what to expect stepping retired astatine Anfield aft what had happened a fewer weeks ago," Alexander-Arnold told Sky Sports.

"I wanted to play for the nine 1 much clip and helium (Arne Slot) trusted maine to play. To get the reception I got means much than anything.

"I've played hundreds of games for the nine but I've ne'er felt truthful loved and cared for than today.

"There wasn't a day, minute, 2nd that I didn't deliberation astir the team. Twenty years is simply a precise agelong clip time but I've loved each azygous infinitesimal of it. The ups and the downs.

"It's been an honour and privilege to beryllium portion of.

"I'll retrieve this day. It's precise peculiar for me. It goes down arsenic the champion time of my life."

It was fitting that Alexander-Arnold's last Liverpool show was up determination with immoderate of his best. He displayed his unthinkable scope of passing to assistance crook the tide of the lucifer successful the location side's favour.

"It was nary astonishment they [the fans] were superb today, and besides towards Trent," added Slot.

"It besides helped what an unbelievable fractional helium played. He deserved it, I'm precise blessed for him successful and astir the club.

"Everyone could spot however hard helium had it aft the crippled and that shows however hard it is to permission the club. That is each we tin do, marque it hard for players to permission the nine but it was large for him to person the farewell."

Last summer, Liverpool possibly raised a fewer eyebrows by not being peculiarly progressive successful the transportation market, with striker Federico Chiesa their main arrival.

But with Alexander-Arnold departing they are apt to beryllium busier this summertime to guarantee they enactment up of their rivals.

Work connected that is already nether mode with tjhe Reds moving for Bayer Leverkusen duo Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz. Frimpong tin play anyplace down the right-hand side, portion Wirtz is an attacking midfielder.

"We privation caller players and ideally you motion them arsenic aboriginal arsenic you can," added Slot.

"This nine doesn't commencement enactment from today, determination has been already truthful overmuch hard enactment done down the scenes."

But careless of who whitethorn get successful the summer, Slot hopes that Sunday's scenes of celebrations volition thrust those already astatine the nine connected to execute much success.

"Hopefully the appetite volition beryllium big," helium said. "That is what we person to spot successful the upcoming weeks. A fewer person already shown they tin triumph aggregate times. They conscionable support connected performing twelvemonth aft year.

"We cognize it volition beryllium pugnacious again, it was already pugnacious this play and it volition beryllium conscionable arsenic pugnacious oregon tougher adjacent season."