Liverpool's 2-0 win over Brentford in the Premier League last weekend — just before Arsenal dropped some more points against Aston Villa — was remarkable in more ways than one.

Two goals in stoppage time from Darwin Nunez was not the script anyone saw coming, not least after Liverpool had taken 35 shots without scoring before Mark Flekken was finally beaten. Even more incredibly, though, Mohamed Salah didn't break any records or add to his goals tally.

The Liverpool talisman had actually gone three games — Spurs, Nottingham Forest, and then Brentford — without scoring or assisting. Only once before this season had he gone more than one game without a goal contribution, proving his unerring influence.

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Come Tuesday, Salah was back in his groove: drought over. Played through on goal by Curtis Jones, he was never going to miss as he sped through to open the scoring against Lille. This was Salah's 50th European goal for Liverpool — another milestone to add to his extensive collection — and Arne Slot didn't hold back with his praise at the final whistle.

"Special is, I think, the word that describes Mo's performance at this club the best," the Reds boss said during his post-match press conference after the game won by Harvey Elliott's deflected effort. "Maybe there are even better words to use, but he's been outstanding for this club for so many years and he still is.

"Today [it was] a great goal. If Mo goes on a one-vs-one, there's a serious chance that he is going to score, but this goal we scored probably tells you a lot about why we are top of the league. The work rate from the players that won the ball back before Curtis [Jones] gave a great pass. That tells you why we're doing so well."

Slot loves Salah and Liverpool would be nowhere near the winning machine that it is without the Egyptian's goals. And yet, there has so far still been no news of a new contract being agreed.

"If I look at the performances of the players, you have to say that it is the opposite," Slot joked on Amazon Prime when he was asked if the contract situations are becoming a distraction this season.

"I think Virgil, Mo and Trent have always reached a certain standard or above. So you can look at it in a way, if we are able to extend them, maybe we should only do it for one year so we have the same first half of the season next year again!"

In reality, however, Salah keeps on showing why he needs to be tied down for as long as possible. Even a two-year deal would only mean discussions about his contractual situation returning far sooner than anyone would like amid the exhausting saga involving him and the other two big hitters whose deals expire this summer.

Liverpool might feel that anything other than two years would be a risk given his age, but the numbers he is putting down would suggest otherwise at the moment. This could yet be Salah's best-ever season.

On the field, he continues to be inevitable. Off it, the outcome in talks between Liverpool and Salah's representatives simply has to be as well.