Caoimhin Kelleher made his long-awaited Anfield return as Liverpool were held by Brentford in the final round of the Premier League season on Sunday.

It was an emotional occasion dominated by the departures of Liverpool legends Mohamed Salah, who assisted Curtis Jones’ opener, and Andy Robertson.

The decorated duo won it all in red and were given their send-off by the Anfield faithful on an emotional atfernoon on Merseyside.

Notable too, were both former Reds’ skipper Jordan Henderson and Kelleher, who were making their maiden returns to the ground where they achieved so much.

Henderson was never given a proper goodbye as his 2023 move to the Saudi Pro League was somewhat expected.

Kelleher, meanwhile, was outstanding for Liverpool in his final Premoer League-winning season but he would play second fiddle to the returning Alisson at the end of that year.

Caoimhin Kelleher seranaded by Liverpool fans on return

While the day was very much about Salah and Robertson, there was plenty of love for Brentford’s Irish goalkeeper too.

He was given a warm welcome by the Liverpool supporters as he made his way out before kick-off.

Great reception for Caoimhín Kelleher on his first return to Anfield #LFC pic.twitter.com/erHWMSXzQP

— Andrew Horgan (@AndrewHorgan) May 24, 2026

Recommended

He would get more love from the opposite end of Anfield, with chants of ‘Ireland’s No 1’ reportedly coming from The Kop End.

Big ovation for Caoimhin Kelleher as he walks to the Kop for the start of the second half.
‘Ireland’s No 1,’ they chant.

— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) May 24, 2026

Kelleher would deny Salah in the first-half and was impressive on the day as he faced eight shots on target.

The friends shared an emotional embrace at full-time as Salah said his goodbyes to his Liverpool teammates and fans alike.

An embrace from Salah and Kelleher ❤️ pic.twitter.com/iVX6nllDHq

— Anfield Edition | æ (@AnfieldEdition) May 24, 2026

Kelleher proved to be an outstanding back-up option during his time at Liverpool and became increasingly relied upon as injures began to limit Alisson’s minutes on the pitch.

There has been a clamour on social media from a sizable portion of Liverpool fans who feel the Corkonian – who left in search of regular first-team football – should never have been sold.

Liverpool opted to acquire Georgian Giorgi Mamardashvili in favour of Kelleher, but the number two has failed to hit the heights of Kelleher at this juncture.

Kelleher, meanwhile, has excelled at Brentford and has arguably been the best goalkeeper in the league this season aside from Arsenal’s David Raya.

SEE ALSO: John Egan’s Hull City Teammate Questions Irishman’s Wedding Decision After Play-Off Final