It was around 10pm when Mohamed Salah probably started to feel like the naughty kid left at school to do maths classes with the supply teacher while all his mates were having a jolly on a school trip.
He would have been dealt a fair dose of FOMO – fear of missing out, to the uninitiated – when his good mate Dominik Szoboszlai converted a Salah-esque cool-and-calm penalty to help Liverpool record a hugely significant victory over a resilient Inter Milan side.
Or maybe it was when he watched his team-mates craning necks and squinting eyes up to the away end here at San Siro, this grand old cathedral of football, to hear 4,400 away fans loudly singing the name of Salah’s No 1 enemy according to his own words in head coach Arne Slot.
For 88 minutes, in truth, there was little to write home about on postcards sent back to Salah — and the Egyptian can still take solace from his sofa by knowing that, unlike the title of the 1971 James Bond film and accompanying Shirley Bassey soundtrack, diamonds are not for ever.
If they were, there might be no space for a right winger no matter what he says in the press.
That is because Slot has evolved his setup from the tried-and-tested way that won them the Premier League and. And although his 4-4-2 diamond has thus far failed to sparkle in an attacking sense, it has made them more solid and the defensive foundations were the best part of this win.
Dominik Szoboszlai smashed the penalty home to give Liverpool a valuable win on the road
The Hungarian was again one of his side’s best players and delivered from the spot
It was a massive win for Slot given the scrutiny on his future and Mo Salah soap opera
The transition from the Mo Salah era to the No Salah era – whether a short phase or a more permanent end of a chapter – has shown some teething problems but all that mattered on this outing was the three points to put Liverpool in the all-important top eight of the Champions League table.
They are on course to avoid a play-off round that is as welcome as a sore tooth.
Salah, meanwhile, was posting selfies in the gym back home and may have felt rather lonely. Whether he muted his television or not during loud renditions of the fans backing Slot, he simply could not have missed a team that absolutely was fighting for the head coach.
Had Liverpool rocked up to San Siro, notoriously one of the toughest places to go in Europe despite their pleasing record here, and lost, then his hand would have been strengthened.
That did not occur, though it must be said at times this was a game crying out for exactly what he has offered week in, week out for the best part of a decade: excitement, marksman-like finishing, eagle-eyed creativity. OK, they looked more solid at the back, which will please Slot, but that does not sell tickets.
Slot started a front two of Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak for just the second time since the £204million strike partnership joined the club. Guess how many passes they completed to one another. A big, fat zero.
It’s hardly Chris Sutton and Alan Shearer, the latter of which was on TV commentary as old Newcastle man Isak failed to make an impact despite some sharp moments early on. It’s hardly even Salah and, well, any of the forward partners he has had over the years at Anfield.
This was their first away win in the Champions League without the Egyptian since 2009 in Debrecen, Hungary. But let’s not make this all about him — there were several fighting displays: Curtis Jones, Ryan Gravenberch, Ibrahima Konate. Dare we say it, this was also much better from Slot, whose substitutes were inspired and timed well.
The referee went to the monitor and decided a pull on Florian Wirtz’s shirt warranted a penalty
Wirtz went down in the box after Alessandro Bastoni gave a tug on the German’s shirt
Ibrahima Konate had a goal chalked off for handball following a long VAR check
Conor Bradley was sharp off the bench and had a great chance saved by Yann Sommer
Liverpool won 3-1 in this cathedral of football last year against AC Milan. It was Slot’s 46th birthday that day and he beamed with pride after recording his first Champions League victory as Reds boss and, little did he know at the time, it was the first of 24 games unbeaten.
A year older, wiser and with a few battle scars along the way, the Dutchman may have spent the scenic flight directly over the snow-capped Alps reminiscing about that time. Back at San Siro but returning under huge pressure to end a wretched run of four wins in 15 before this trip.
All the drama made one almost forget we were in Italy for a football match and not a court trial with Slot and Salah in a messy power struggle. But aside from all the off-pitch talk, as box-office as it may be for neutrals, it needed to be parked as this was a must-win game for Liverpool.
Just like their last trip here, Ibrahima Konate headed home in front of the Curva Nord. This time, though, it was chalked off after the VAR spent four whole minutes trying to find a handball offence against striker Ekitike.
Inter had some chances, like a Lautaro Martinez header and Nico Barella free-kick, but Liverpool were always on top and deserved to win despite being some way from their free-flowing best. Conor Bradley came close but clear chances were few and far between.
Slot, in his defence, was not just without Salah but also regular starter Cody Gakpo and substitute forward Federico Chiesa. The latter had an awfully-timed bout of the… well, let’s just say he has not been very well.
Salah might have felt unwell, too, as he saw Liverpool given an 86th-minute penalty for a tug on Florian Wirtz. The Egyptian would have been taking that if he was here. Instead, he was left to celebrate from his living room – a defining goal by Szoboszlai.
Slot looked up to the away end and heard Liverpool fans voting with their voice. They still love Salah, of course they do, but they also still have huge respect for the manager. After a hard-fought victory like this, they were absolutely right to do so.