Mohamed Salah left Anfield applauding all four sides after appearing to pick up a hamstring problem during Liverpool’s meeting with Crystal Palace. He pulled up shortly before the hour mark and was forced off, trudging from the pitch to a chorus of concern from the crowd.

Immediate fears surrounded the severity of the issue and whether the injury could end Salah’s season, and even his Liverpool career. With roughly one month remaining of the campaign, the forward faces a clear race against time if he is to appear again in a Liverpool shirt.

Liverpool have just four fixtures remaining this season. A trip to Manchester United next Sunday already feels too soon for Salah if he has injured his hamstring, while the extent of the blow will determine whether a return is possible before the end of the campaign.

Chelsea travel to Anfield on May 9 in a tense fixture in the race for Europe, and that will be the penultimate chance for Salah to play in front of a home crowd in a Liverpool shirt. Arne Slot’s side end the season at home to Brentford and Liverpool will undoubtedly use that fixture to pay tribute to Salah. Long-standing left back Andy Robertson can also expect a hero’s farewell, but fans will hope to see the Egypt international on the pitch one final time.

Complicating the club situation is this summer’s World Cup. Salah will be keen to hurry back to action and bid farewell to his club, but he will not want to risk exacerbating a problem that could affect his involvement this summer in what is likely to be his final World Cup appearance.

The coming days and medical assessments will be decisive. Liverpool’s remaining schedule and the timing of recovery will decide whether supporters will witness Salah one more time at Anfield before the season closes.

Gameweek 33 delivered decisive swings at both ends of the table and several standout individual displays. FotMob’s ratings identify nine players who shaped the round across a series of key matches.

Curtis Jones (rating 8.4) was deployed at right back by Arne Slot in the Merseyside derby and responded with a dominant defensive and possession performance. Jones recorded 28 defensive contributions, more than double any other player on the pitch, while also leading the match for touches (118), attempted passes (84) and completed passes (79). He emerged from his duel with Iliman Ndiaye unscathed.

Erling Haaland (8.4) produced the goal that pulled Manchester City back into the title race. The Norway forward played the full game despite heavy attention from Arsenal defenders William Saliba and Gabriel, endured his undershirt being ripped and an attempted headbutt, and finished with a memorable smirk at the camera after the final whistle.

Jaydee Canvot (8.4) has taken on greater responsibility since Marc Guéhi’s mid-season exit and impressed again in Crystal Palace’s draw with West Ham United. Canvot frequently won his confrontations with Jarrod Bowen and showed notable composure on the ball, repeatedly stepping into midfield to drive his team forward.

Leeds United produced three of the week’s top performers. Noah Okafor (8.5), 25 years old, forced an early advantage by assisting Leeds’ opener and then scoring the second inside the opening 20 minutes. Dominic Calvert-Lewin (8.6) sealed the win with a 95th-minute penalty after a game in which he was disruptive both on the ground and in the air and likely had earlier chances to score. James Justin (8.7) opened the scoring with an acrobatic overhead kick and combined attacking impact with a team-leading 17 defensive contributions.

Xavi Simons (8.7) stood out in Tottenham Hotspur’s 2–2 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion, leaving the match with a goal and an assist, celebrating his stunning strike with real emotion before the late equaliser.

Elsewhere the round brought relegation heartbreak for Tottenham Hotspur and confirmation of Wolverhampton Wanderers’ tumble out of the top flight, emphasising the high stakes of Gameweek 33.

With national teams required to submit World Cup squads to FIFA by May 30, every appearance now carries added weight for American players. The past week produced clear positives and growing concerns for the USMNT pool.

Haji Wright played 28 minutes for Coventry City in a 1–1 draw with Blackburn Rovers as his club secured promotion to the English top flight for the first time in 25 years. Wright entered in the 62nd minute and registered a single shot in that match. Across the Championship campaign he has 16 goals and an assist in 29 games, placing him second in the Golden Boot race behind Žan Vipotnik. That goalscoring return and the prospect of remaining with Coventry for the Premier League step up have strengthened his appeal for a World Cup roster spot, even if he is not a guaranteed starter.

Brenden Aaronson is enjoying one of his best seasons with Leeds United. He played 86 minutes in Monday’s Premier League fixture against Manchester United, creating an assist on a day Noah Okafor netted a brace in a 2–1 victory at Old Trafford. Aaronson now has four goals and four assists in 31 Premier League matches this season and is pushing to make his second World Cup after debuting in Qatar. While Leeds remain concerned about relegation, the club also prepares for an FA Cup semifinal against Chelsea after ousting West Ham United. “The biggest thing was the Premier League, staying up and just having a great season, which I think we’ve done and we’ve put ourselves in a great position,” Aaronson told ESPN . “And then the cherry on top is being in the FA Cup and getting to the semifinals … It’s going to be a massive game for this club and for this team.”

Chris Richards continued his rise with Crystal Palace, producing 10 defensive actions and nine clearances in Conference League action against Fiorentina as Palace advanced 4–2 on aggregate despite a 2–1 loss. He also delivered nine defensive contributions in a league win over Newcastle, a match settled by Jean-Philippe Mateta’s 94th-minute penalty.

By contrast, Christian Pulisic’s form remains a concern. The 27-year-old has gone 17 goalless games for AC Milan after a 3–0 loss to Udinese in which he recorded three attempts but no shot on target. Since his last goal he has one assist, versus Torino in March, and he struggled for the USMNT against Portugal and Belgium. Tim Ream’s veteran presence still matters, but recent showings with Charlotte FC raise questions about his level against top attackers.