Alex Iwobi was among the goals as Fulham stunned champions elect Liverpool with a 3-2 victory at Craven Cottage that ended the Reds' 26-match undefeated streak, with the Super Eagles star breaking a Nigerian Premier League record in the process.
Mohamed Salah is on course to end the season as a Premier League champion, but Iwobi eclipsed the Liverpool superstar with a magnificent individual showing to settle a fascinating tussle in West London.
The duo are no strangers, having crossed paths on several occasions in Merseyside derbies, with Iwobi winning just once in four years at Everton, during which time Salah became one of the league's all-time greats at Liverpool.
On this occasion, however, with the Egyptian appearing to edge ever closer to the exit door at Anfield, Iwobi delivered his best display since scoring twice against West Ham United in mid-January.
The Nigerian scored a goal and registered an assist during a mesmerising five-minute period in the second half, leaving Liverpool, ultimately, with too much to do to force their way back into the contest.
His showing saw him become the first Nigerian player to tally 30 goals and 30 assists in the Premier League. Nwankwo Kanu (29 assists, 54 goals) previously led the Premier League assist charts for Nigerian players.
Iwobi remains some way behind Aiyegbeni Yakubu's combined 121 goal contributions (26 assists, 95 goals) as the most impactful Super Eagle in the top tier.
Ryan Sessegnon had already cancelled out Alexis Mac Allister's opener when Iwobi's masterclass truly kicked into gear just after the hour mark.
Iwobi was arguably at fault for Mac Allister's opener, possession being stolen away by the Argentine, but the Nigerian capitalised on a double defensive lapse from Andy Robertson to give Fulham the lead.
His first attempt after a wayward Robertson pass was blocked by Ibrahima Konaté, but the Nigerian made no mistake when afforded a second chance after the Scot's desperate second attempt to clear returned to his feet.
A swift shuffle of his feet appeared to dupe Konate, as Iwobi moved the ball to his left foot, awaited a gap between the onrushing defenders, and finished emphatically beyond Caoimhín Kelleher.
Liverpool's Curtis Jones was largely comfortable as a makeshift right-back against Everton in midweek, but it was a different story against livewire Iwobi -- particularly with the Nigerian's confidence flowing after his first goal. With Antonee Robinson bright and hungry on the overlap, and Iwobi enjoying space in the inside pocket, Jones found himself frequently caught in two minds and without the experience to pick his battles effectively.
Iwobi notably looked relaxed throughout, his showing punctuated with adroit touches and moments of technical class that demonstrated his relish at testing himself against the league's finest side.
His assist, however, was an off-balance lump forward, sending the ball looping back into the area and then watching as Rodrigo Muniz took control and extended the hosts' lead. The assist took Iwobi's direct goal contributions in the Premiuer League to 64 -- 30 goals and 34 assists -- across his time with Arsenal, Everton and Fulham.
The nephew of Jay-Jay Okocha, Iwobi had to contend with parallels with his illustrious relative during his time at Arsenal and Everton, even though the duo boasted different attributes and made different contributions to their team.
Iwobi wasn't the fantasy creator that his uncle was, although at Everton he belatedly won over supporters who had once condemned his lack of flamboyance, with no lack of enterprise, intelligence and self-sacrifice for the cause.
He didn't complete a single dribble against Liverpool, but he has definitely established himself as Fulham's key threat in the final third, and, steadily, he's coming full circle.
He has 13 direct goal contributions this season (eight goals, five assists, and no Fulham player has more) while this is already comfortably his most productive season as a Premier League player; his previous best was nine with Arsenal (2018-19) and Everton (2022-23).
This is his second-most impactful season for average goal-scoring chances created per match, and he's increasingly finding himself in positions where he can take aim; 1.8 shots per game this season is higher than he's registered in any previous Premier League campaign.
Steve Nicol reacts to Liverpool's 3-2 loss to Fulham in the Premier League.
Iwobi's productivity and vigour against Liverpool was in sharp contrast to Salah, who appears to have lapsed into a late-season malaise as Arne Slot's side have lost steam.
As had been the case against Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final, and against Paris Saint-Germain as the Reds tumbled out of the UEFA Champions League, Salah was anonymous, infrequently picked out by his teammates, not adapting his positioning to receive possession, largely a bystander as Liverpool attempted to find their way back into the bout.
Salah has scored only twice in his past seven outings for Liverpool, stretching back to late February, and those goals were penalties against the Premier League's basement club, Southampton. He hasn't scored from open play since the 2-0 victory at Manchester City -- his 30th goal of the season -- with the ingenuity that characterised his appearances between September and February clearly absent.
"Maybe he should see [the criticism] as a compliment because his [previous] numbers were not normal," Arne Slot told BBC Match of the Day. "The good thing about Mo is he knows what kind of player he is. Mo will show up again, I don't worry about that."
Ex-Liverpool striker John Aldridge isn't so optimistic.
"Salah and Virgil van Dijk's form in the last few games has been worrying," Aldridge wrote in his Liverpool Echo column. "I wouldn't know if it's anything to do with their contract situations.
"It shouldn't be playing on their minds, though. If they are going to move on, they need to see the season out in really good form to show people who want them what they can do. They've got to play to the best of their abilities, either to earn a contract with [Liverpool] or attract suitors elsewhere."
Liverpool remain on course for a 20th league title, with an 11-point advantage atop the table, but they'll be desperate to restore momentum and avoid a sticky end to the season.
Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens react to Ivan Jurić's departure from Southampton following confirmation of their relegation, after 14 games in charge.
At the other end of the Premier League table, Paul Onuachu, Joseph Aribo and Sulemana's relegation with Southampton was mathematically confirmed as the Saints fell to a 3-1 defeat by Tottenham.
None of the club's three prominent African players will look back on this campaign with any pride; Onuachu and Aribo have been the club's top scorers, with four and three goals respectively, representing more 30% of the Saints' goal tally this season.
Sulemana's assist against Spurs was his first of the season -- testament to a campaign of regression for the wideman, and Southampton's feeble goal threat -- but it was insufficient to prevent Ivan Jurić's side from being relegated earlier than any club in Premier League history.
Sulemana has two years left on his deal at St. Mary's, but he may have the best chances of securing a transfer to remain in the top flight next term. His progressive ball carrying remains among the highest in the division, behind only another Stade Rennais old boy, Jérémy Doku, and at 23 he should still have room for progression.
That said, he still remains woefully short of an end product, and it remains to be seen whether he can reignite his career.