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Liverpool 1-1 Brentford: Salah signs off with Champions League qualification

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Clock Icon43 MinutesFootball

Mohamed Salah got his record 93rd Premier League assist for Liverpool, who secured their place in the Champions League thanks to a 1-1 draw with Brentford on the final day.

Salah, who was saying farewell to the Anfield faithful alongside Andy Robertson, teed up Curtis Jones' opener for Liverpool, with a stalemate enough to secure fifth place. 

Kevin Schade earned a point for the Bees, but that was not enough for them to secure their own European place, as they finished ninth, behind Brighton on goal difference.

Liverpool started strongly and almost took the lead through Salah, who smacked the left post with a free-kick from the edge of the box 19 minutes in. 

Rio Ngumoha also went close, curling a shot narrowly wide of the top-right corner before Schade saw a one-on-one effort smothered by Alisson just before the break.

Salah was then denied by Kelleher before embarking on a blistering run down the right to pick out Jones for a tap-in with an outside-of-the-boot delivery in the 58th minute.

But Jones was unable to clear his lines at the other end six minutes later, and then deflected Keane Lewis-Potter's cross to a stooping Schade.

Igor Thiago dragged a late shot wide, while Dango Ouattara thumped a header wide deep in stoppage time – after Kelleher had made himself big to deny Florian Wirtz – but Brentford could not find the winner they needed to leapfrog Sunderland and Brighton to seventh.

Data Debrief: Salah bids farewell

It was an emotional day at Anfield, with Salah not given the chance to orchestrate one last magic moment in front of the Kop as he went off to a 74th-minute guard of honour.

He still played his part, though, as in his 442nd game for Liverpool, he overtook Steven Gerrard's 92 Premier League assists for the Reds. He is the 10th player to be outright top for both goals and assists for a single club in the competition.

Liverpool will feel they missed a chance to end on a high – they have now dropped 11 points from winning positions at Anfield in the top-flight this season.

For Brentford, it was a tale of too many draws this season that ultimately cost them a first European berth. Since the start of March, they have drawn seven and won just one of their 10 Premier League games (L2); in this time, it is the most draws of any club in the division, while only Burnley have won fewer (0).