Mohamed Salah made his 400th Liverpool appearance on Monday night – but really should have been celebrating much more.
Salah was guilty of a shocking close range miss when he sidefooted Cody Gakpo's low cross wide of an empty net from just yards out. It was an error that proved damaging as Brighton fought back from 2-1 down to clinch a 3-2 victory at the American Express Stadium.
It was also costly to Salah on a personal level, with the 32-year-old still one short of the all-time record for goal involvements in a single Premier League season.
A few months back, he looked set to break numerous records and deliver an unprecedented attacking return for a player in England's top flight.
His brace against Southampton in March took him to 27 goals and 17 assists in 29 matches, just three goal involvements short of the Premier League benchmark of 47, held by Alan Shearer and Andy Cole.
He was also on track to eclipse the record of 20 Premier League assists in a season, jointly held by Arsenal's Thierry Henry and Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne.
Since then, a new contract has arrived but the goals and assists have dried up, with just one of each in his last eight games.
It means plenty of eyes will be on Salah this Sunday when Liverpool wrap up their league season at home to Crystal Palace.
On Monday night, his big miss arrived on 54 minutes with his side 2-1 in front. A goal then would have likely secured victory for a Liverpool team who have now taken just one point from three games since securing the title against Spurs last month.
Head coach Arne Slot was unconcerned though, and tipped the Egyptian to get back among the goals against Palace.
“The first thought that goes through my head when I see the ball moving towards Mo, I’m like, ‘It’s quite a big chance, this could lead to a goal’ because that’s what Mo normally does,” said Dutchman Slot.
“But he’s been throughout this season almost inhuman. But there were moments in the season where he was human, so it’s not the first time that he’s not scoring for one or two games in a row.
“But the good thing for us is this hardly ever happens and, if it happens, you can be sure that he will score in the third game or the fourth game.”
As it transpired, it was Brighton's Jack Hinshelwood who sealed a dramatic victory for his side.
Slot's champions took the lead through Harvey Elliott's early opener before Yasin Ayari equalised for the hosts.
Dominik Szoboszlai restored Liverpool's advantage just before the interval, but Brighton staged a late fightback as Kaoru Mitoma levelled before Hinshelwood came off the bench to net with his first touch.
The Reds have lost at Brighton and Chelsea and squandered a two-goal lead in a draw with Arsenal since their record-equalling 20th English crown was confirmed
They can now look forward to receiving the Premier League trophy in Sunday's season finale against FA Cup winners Palace at Anfield before an open-top bus parade through the city 24 hours later.
“Great game of football but not the result we wanted,” added Slot.
“If you don't score the third goal then it's hard to win at this level, especially away from home. We cannot miss chances like we did if you want to win.
“I know these players already for 10 months, so it's not the first time I'm judging them, but it's nice to see Harvey score a goal and have an assist.
“Federico Chiesa had some nice moments as well considering how long he's not been playing.”
Slot had admitted that motivating the champions for the final two matches of the season was a tricky task and his fears were confirmed by this sloppy display.
Slot's players had a celebratory trip to Dubai this week and only returned to training on Friday, while the Reds boss was seen partying in Ibiza for several days, as they soaked in a title victory secured in April.
“Did you see me on social media!” Slot said with a laugh in reply to a question about how focused he had been on the Brighton game.
