Jurgen Klopp wasn’t happy with Mohamed Salah at all.
“Pass the ball, pass the ball!” came the shout from the Liverpool manager after the Egyptian had scampered away on a first-half counter-attack only to be denied by Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
Quite whether Salah actually had any realistic alternatives as he held off the attentions of Yves Bissouma is another matter, Luis Diaz shadowed by defenders, Sadio Mane still sprinting up to join his team-mates.
But it was enough for the conspiracy theorists to quickly start tapping out claims all was not well with the forward at Anfield.
READ MORE: Liverpool next six Premier League fixtures compared to title rivals Man City and Chelsea
READ MORE: What Mohamed Salah did before heading down tunnel after Liverpool sub
PLAYER RATINGS: Rate Liverpool's players after the 2-0 win against Brighton
Klopp’s pre-match comments on Salah’s ongoing contract impasse – and the subsequent characteristically unhelpful contribution from the player’s agent Ramy Abbas – meant the spotlight on the Liverpool number 11 was even more intense than normal here at Brighton’s AMEX Stadium.
So the doom-mongers would not have enjoyed the sight of Klopp and Salah later sharing a warm embrace after the Egyptian was forced off through injury.
In truth, the forward for the most part experienced an exasperating afternoon, seeing a shot loop against the crossbar second half after earlier dragging a clear opening wide with his left foot, much to his own angst.
That frustration, though, all melted away when, after Yves Bissouma handled Naby Keita’s shot, Salah kept his nerve to smash the ball down the middle from the spot shortly after the hour to seal a 2-0 win for the visitors before racing towards the jubilant away end to celebrate.
For the fourth time in five seasons at Liverpool, the Egyptian now has 20 Premier League goals, moving on to 28 in all competitions for the campaign, 153 for the Reds overall. Michael Owen, eighth in the all-time Liverpool list on 158 goals, is the next target.
Of course, there will be concern that, only minutes later, Salah was on his backside on the turf complaining of a problem that saw him depart.
“I love you fella!” came the shout from the fan to whom the forward flung his shirt as he disappeared down the tunnel on his substitution.
Yes, the speculation over his contract won’t go away until it is sorted one way or the other.
But Liverpool supporters – and Klopp – love Salah. And, clearly, the Egyptian loves playing for Liverpool.
