It was a moment that perfectly encapsulated the quiet, battling brilliance of the Reds' UEFA Champions League 1-0 victory over Internazionale, with the mood on the pitch and in the stands one of defiance following a turbulent few days for head coach Arne Slot and his players. That the win was secured via a penalty -- dispatched emphatically by the relentless Dominik Szoboszlai in the 88th minute -- carried a certain sense of irony.
Certainly, nobody will have been watching on with more interest than the absent Mohamed Salah when referee Felix Zwayer was sent to the monitor to review Alessandro Bastoni's challenge on Florian Wirtz inside the area. Salah -- who was omitted from the matchday squad in Milan following his incendiary post-match interview at the weekend -- has been Liverpool's regular penalty taker for the past eight years and could perhaps have added another goal to his extraordinary tally had he not opted to aim at both Slot and the club at Elland Road on Saturday night.
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Ordinarily, a trip to Inter's iconic home is a momentous occasion in its own right. However, the football has been somewhat of an afterthought in the build-up to this game. Instead, much of the pre-match discourse has centred on Salah's claims he has been "thrown under the bus" by Liverpool, and his suggestion that next weekend's Premier League clash with Brighton
