Anfield witnessed the end of an era on Sunday afternoon. The football itself almost felt secondary to the overwhelming wave of emotion cascading down from the stands as we said our final goodbyes to Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson.
While a 1-1 draw against Brentford was a disappointing way to finish the Premier League season, the point at least secures our place in the Champions League for next year.
For Arne Slot, the rebuilding job starts now (as long as it’s still his to do), but Sunday belonged entirely to two legends who gave everything to the red shirt.
The atmosphere inside the ground was electric from the first whistle. Mosaics dedicated to Salah and Robertson adorned the Kop and the Sir Kenny Dalglish stand, and their names were sung on repeat for the opening 15 minutes.
There was also a warm return for our former captain Jordan Henderson, starting for the visitors, and Caoimhin Kelleher in the Brentford goal.
We dominated the early exchanges, clearly determined to get Mo on the scoresheet one last time. Ibrahima Konate headed straight at Kelleher from a Robertson cross, and Ryan Gravenberch saw an effort fly over after Salah struck the post with a brilliant free kick.
Brentford offered little until just before the break, when Alisson Becker, returning from a two-month injury layoff, made a sensational sprawling save to deny Kevin Schade from close range.
The breakthrough finally came in the 57th minute. Cody Gakpo released Salah down the right wing. Cutting inside, the Egyptian King used the outside of his boot to deliver a sublime cross straight into the path of Curtis Jones, who tapped home from close range.
It was Salah’s 120th assist for Liverpool, breaking Steven Gerrard’s club record in his final game. It felt like the perfect script.
Moments later, Henderson was substituted to a standing ovation from all four corners of Anfield, a classy touch from the home support.
Sadly, our lead was brief. In the 63rd minute, we failed to clear a Brentford cross, and the ball eventually deflected off Jones into the path of Schade, who beat Alisson with a diving header.
The final half hour was a tense, frantic affair. Kelleher made a spectacular save to deny our substitute Florian Wirtz, whilst Brentford pushed hard for the win they needed to secure European football.
We were deep into ten minutes of stoppage time when Dango Ouattara missed an absolute sitter, heading over the bar from point-blank range with the final act of the match.
When the final whistle blew, the tears flowed. Salah and Robertson were given guards of honour and presented with personalised Champions Walls by King Kenny. Seeing Mo in tears showed just how much this club means to him and how much he’ll miss it.
We finish fifth, securing elite European football, but walking out of Anfield yesterday, the dominant feeling was not relief, it was profound gratitude for the memories that Mo and Andy have given us for the last nine years.
