Mohamed Salah is one of Liverpool’s three greatest ever players – but one last goal remains

There are different ways of ending Liverpool careers. Steven Gerrard’s was among the most ignominious, a Champions League-winning captain departing after a 6-1 defeat to Stoke City. Kenny Dalglish’s was more sentimental, as a substitute in a team who had already won the league in 1990.

Dalglish was brought on by the manager – himself – which meant he had two further exits, standing down in 1991, being dismissed in 2012. Mohamed Salah has arguably joined Gerrard and Dalglish in a trinity; of Liverpool’s three greatest ever players. He stands third for goals, behind only Ian Rush and Roger Hunt, with a better goal-per-game ratio than either.

Indeed, of the Anfield centurions, no one since World War 2 has scored at a faster rate than Salah. In as much as assists can be calculated in previous eras, Salah lies fifth – Dalglish and Gerrard are at the top of that particular table – and, of those with at least 40, only the Scot and Alan A’Court – who starred in the old Division 2 – created more goals per game. And that is despite Salah’s anti-climactic, at times angry, final year.

A man who has rarely even been booked was in effect suspended by Liverpool for the Champions League trip to Inter Milan, after saying he had been “thrown under the bus” and that he had no relationship with Arne Slot . His penultimate appearance, in a 4-2 defeat at Aston Villa, was less noteworthy than the social-media posts the following day; Liverpool, he said, were “crumbling”. There will be a fond farewell at Anfield on Sunday, and there are tributes aplenty from teammates past and present.