It was a glorious sunny April afternoon on Merseyside and Anfield was rocking to its foundations as Mohamed Salah and Liverpool celebrated the club's record-equalling 20th top-flight crown.
Tottenham Hotspur had just been thumped 5-1 to clinch the Premier League title in front of their own supporters, something denied to Liverpool five years earlier when the Covid-19 pandemic forced matches to be played behind closed doors.
Beaming Egyptian forward Salah – who just two weeks earlier had ended months of speculation by agreeing a new two-year contract – was a picture of happiness, taking selfies in front of the Kop. “It's special to win it at Anfield – it's very difficult to describe,” Salah told BBC Sport.
Arne Slot, who had taken over from the much-loved Jurgen Klopp as manager the previous summer, had achieved the unlikely by winning the English championship at the first attempt. “I believe next season and the year after will be great, for sure,” added Salah.
But jump forward less than 12 months and a very different picture has emerged for both player and manager with Slot fighting to keep his job after a disastrous title defence. Salah, meanwhile, will be heading for pastures new after announcing last month he will leave the club this summer.
Last weekend's 4-0 humbling by Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals felt like a new low in what has been a woeful season for the pair, with Slot forced to admit his team “lacked fighting spirit” while Salah would see a second-half penalty saved by James Trafford.
The 33-year-old Egyptian international – whose now infamous public criticism of his manager and club in December would prove to be the beginning of the end for a sparkling Liverpool career – has scored just five league goals all season, in stark contrast to his Golden Boot-winning tally of 29 last time out.
Slot, meanwhile, has seen his team lose 15 games already this campaign across all competitions, the worst in a single season for Liverpool since Brendan Rodgers saw his side beaten 18 times in 2014/15.
Liverpool sit fifth in the Premier League table – 21 points behind leaders Arsenal – with the likes of Chelsea, Brentford and Merseyside rivals Everton breathing down their necks in the race for a Uefa Champions League spot next season. And the manner of Saturday's harrowing loss at the Etihad Stadium suggests a place at European football's top table next season is far from guaranteed.
“I can only apologise to the fans for what we have shown,” said captain Virgil van Dijk, who looked helpless as Erling Haaland blitzed a ruthless hat-trick for City, with the veteran defender conceding a penalty after fouling Nico O'Reilly for the Norwegian's opener.
“You shouldn't give up and that's maybe, at a certain point, what happened. We let our fans down, we let ourselves down, and the manager.”
The Champions League has proven to be a bright spot for Liverpool this season after finishing third top in the group phase – that included wins over Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Inter Milan – before easing past Galatasaray despite losing the first leg 1-0 in Turkey.
The second leg proved to be another one of those memorable European nights at Anfield – with Salah scoring for a landmark 50th time in the competition – as three goals in 11 scintillating minutes sealed a 4-0 win and a quarter-final clash with reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain.
“From start to finish, we played the game I was hoping for, the players were hoping for and the fans were hoping for,” said Slot after the match. “It was almost the perfect game from us, but definitely from our fans.”
Next up for Liverpool is a clash against a PSG side who knocked them out of the competition at the last-16 stage last season, although Luis Enrique's side needed a penalty shoot-out to progress after the game finished 1-1 after extra time.
Slot hailed PSG as “an incredible team” following the Galatasaray win while repeating comments he made last season describing the second leg loss to the French side as “the best game I've managed in my career”.
“Both teams just playing football to entertain the fans,” added the Dutchman. “They've shown this season that they haven't dropped a level.”
PSG needed a narrow play-off win against Ligue 1 rivals Monaco to reach the last 16 – after finishing two points outside an automatic qualification place – where they destroyed Chelsea 8-2 over two legs.
Domestically, PSG are four points clear in Ligue 1 having played a game less than second-placed Lens as they hunt a record-extending 14th French top-flight title, following a 3-1 home win over Toulouse last Friday.
“The spirit [in the PSG camp] is incredible, we love playing this kind of game, these big Champions League matches,” said Portuguese midfielder Vitinha ahead of Wednesday's first leg at Parc des Princes.
“They're the sort of game every footballer wants to play. We're focused, we're aware of the danger, and we're ready to play this big game.
“Everyone knows football well enough to know that in this sort of game there is no favourite. It's Liverpool, a great team with great players, anything can happen.”
For Salah and Slot, the aim is to ensure the tie is still alive for next week's second leg back in Liverpool, and that a desperate season could yet still end in celebrations that would top even those delirious scenes of Anfield 12 months ago.
