Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Thanks for the ... you are one
THERE has probably never been a more enthusiastic greeting for a substitution in Anfield history.
With 18 minutes remaining, the Kop got what they had demanded throughout a frustrating afternoon when Jurgen Klopp said ‘Si’ to Roberto Firmino, the greatest senhor ever to have graced this famous old stadium.
Within 60 seconds, he had crafted a chance for Trent Alexander-Arnold and the chorus began once more, an emotional appreciation of not just what Liverpool will be missing, but what he has brought to the great team Klopp has crafted.
What he did next was so typical of the Brazilian, an inspiring energy, presence and sheer driving commitment pulsing through him to lift a team which had looked insipid before his arrival.
The goal was inevitable, finished with the sort of emphatic zeal that suggested Firmino was on a mission to say goodbye in the best possible way.
He did, so very nearly turning the game around… and the fans will not forget this afternoon, this magnificent player.
The last 20 minutes were some of the most emotional of the season, you could argue some of the most enervating of Klopp’s era, as the Anfield crowd willed their hero to have the final say on his last outing here. Sadly, even
Firmino’s magic couldn’t quite conjure the victory the occasion deserved – though Liverpool fans and Klopp will argue that was once again because of the refereeing.
Almost predictably, it was a contest once more blighted by controversy surrounding officials with an unfortunate history of, shall we be polite and say “exchanges”, with Klopp. The
Reds boss watched on, amazed in the stand, as referee John Brooks decided Ezri Konsa hadn’t deliberately played the ball when it came off him to allow Virgil van Dijk, standing beyond the Villa defensive line, to tee up Cody Gakpo to equalise.
It took a VAR review and Brooks’ own trek over to the monitor to determine the visiting centre-half didn’t mean a touch
which was directed back to the Liverpool player – which is bizarre because what was he doing on the pitch if he didn’t want to intervene in that critical situation?
Klopp was visibly perplexed. We could see the whites of his eyes as he looked at a monitor just a few yards away at the back of the stand – and they turned a murderous shade of darkness.
Was this payback for the questioning of officials – Brooks included – which earned the manager his touchline ban and a £75,000 fine, or just coincidence? Most certainly a bad coincidence, but come on, what sort of appointment was this by the Premier League and PGMOL to give a game where Klopp has a touchline ban to one of the officials involved in the reason for his punishment?
It is as if they are trying to make a snide point – and that doesn’t smack of firmness, it smacks of pettiness.
As it was, with Manchester United winning, it probably wouldn’t have mattered anyway.
But it was a sour note on which to bring down the curtain on four of Liverpool’s impressive clergy in this great church.
Firmino rightly got the attention, but James Milner deserves special praise, too –
It was a contest once more blighted by controversy and got it when the Kop chanted his name.
He has played 331 games for Liverpool and has been one of the biggest influences in the dressing room during Klopp’s reign. He set the tone for everything that has been achieved in the past seven years.
Firmino is on 361 appearances, making him 40th on the all-time list for the Reds. He will go down in history as one of the greats and Milner will join him.
At the end, most of a 55,000 crowd stayed to pay their tribute to this golden pair and to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita. It is the end of an era at Anfield – and the passion on display in this beautiful finale will be tough to replace.