Mohamed Salah had just left his seat in the directors’ box, but would have instinctively known what the noise pursuing him out of Old Trafford meant.
A barrage of cheers greeted the goal from Kobbie Mainoo that ultimately condemned Liverpool to their 18th defeat of this chaotic campaign, the most losses they have suffered across all competitions since 2014-15. There is no guarantee it will not get worse.
Yet, with Salah looking on, there had been a period when it felt as if the visiting team had taken their cue from him one last time at this venue.
Szoboszlai’s 47th-minute strike, after a 50-yard solo run, briefly put a smile on Salah’s faceMartin Rickett/PA
Salah had missed the start of a fixture he has always loved after finding himself stuck in traffic, deciding to remain down below while Manchester United were in the ascendancy. During that first half, all the mitigating factors listed by Arne Slot failed to fully explain an impoverished Liverpool performance.
However, within minutes of Salah appearing at the start of the second half — he was sitting, resplendent in a red tracksuit top, two seats along from Ian Rush — there was a little more hope.
A smile greeted Dominik Szoboszlai’s slaloming run and finish, before he was out of his seat, a little gingerly given the hamstring injury that prevented him from making a farewell on the pitch, when Cody Gakpo levelled.
One final celebration, as it turned out, versus the team he has scored more goals against (16) in a Liverpool shirt than any other.
Then, in the 75th minute, Salah was gone. Pretty soon all of that renewed optimism vanished with him.
Slot admitted his side “fell into a trap” when conceding two early goalsTimes Photographer Bradley Ormesher
His presence had been all the more pertinent given the interviews conducted in the build-up to the fixture, in which he had insisted he did not want to say too much and yet, as with every utterance he makes, actually said plenty.
In Sky Sports’ homage to the Egyptian, which contained tributes from past and present team-mates and managers, he sat cross-legged in a chair, watching agog before going public with concerns that, he says, he has already voiced to Liverpool’s hierarchy.
Chiefly, about who, if anyone, will step up and be the “example” responsible for setting the standards when he departs at the end of the month.
Salah expanded on that theme in a separate interview with the former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, conducted for TNT Sports, stressing how the “bond of the team” was changing. He said his heartfelt wish is that the tenets that underpinned Liverpool for much of the previous decade would remain in place.
Florian Wirtz, Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch cannot wipe away the stain of defeat at Old TraffordTimes photographer bradley ormesher
Of course it has been difficult to build dressing-room connections this term. The mood was understandably subdued after the death of Diogo Jota in pre-season and there have been other factors since, not least the star player attacking his own head coach midway through the campaign in a downturn in relations that has led to Salah quitting 12 months before his contract had originally been due to expire.
But, by raising the subject, Salah cast doubt on whether an entire culture is ebbing away. Restoring that can be added to all the other problems that Slot must somehow solve to prevent his reign as head coach lurching deeper into disarray.
Certainly, witnessing United breaking forward at will in the opening 45 minutes showed Salah is entirely right to harbour concerns. “Leadership” and “character” are words usually trotted out in the aftermath of defeat and were mentioned again here, while a sense of organisation was also eschewed.
Slot admitted afterwards that his side “fell into a trap” when conceding to Matheus Cunha from a corner and then to Benjamin Sesko following a counterattack sparked by Alexis Mac Allister’s misplaced pass. That said, it still took a deflected shot and what might have been construed as handball on another day for United to score.
Liverpool had arrived with their prospects clearly compromised by key absences. Alexander Isak’s groin injury, which is not serious but definitely untimely, meant that he joined two goalkeepers, a right back and the club’s only other senior striker on the sidelines.
Isak is one of five first-team Liverpool players who are out injured JUSTIN TALLIS /AFP
This was an assignment demanding a backs-against-the-wall display, to dig in and grow into proceedings. Instead, Slot lamented his players “not picking up the second balls” in those early passages when the chance to set the tone was squandered. It was enough to wonder just what is said in the moments before kick-off and, more importantly, whether anyone is actually listening.
Even when they were invited back into the game by United’s mistakes, there was not the conviction from Liverpool that they would then go on and make the most of the momentum that had belatedly been mustered.
The lack of options available to Slot clearly played a part but, instead, the tricks and flicks started again — a surefire sign of a team who think they are better than they actually are.
“The spirit and character shows when it is a little bit of a challenging time”… but that was Michael Carrick, the United head coach, speaking after a victory that should render his coronation as the next permanent manager a formality given Champions League qualification has been achieved.
Seven times in the league (eight overall), Liverpool have fallen behind, restored parity and then lost. That is why their season remains on the brink.
As a result, there is enough cause to wonder whether Salah’s comments merely scratched at the surface of the problems facing his soon-to-be former club.
When eras end, new leaders must step forward. Notwithstanding those missing, there is also a lack of quality. In defence, in midfield and in attacking areas.