It was an afternoon of poignant goodbyes and an expected but uncomfortable departure. It would always be.
Southampton have known since their 2-0 defeat to Fulham on May 13 that they will play in the Championship next season; many had anticipated this weeks earlier. Although on Sunday their divorce was finalized.
As with many divorces, it comes to realization as soon as it is signed and delivered. The first goal, gifted to Liverpool, and the subsequent punctured back line, may well have been symbiotic with the Saints’ season as a whole. But the rest of the performance showed real, real grit; how they could do more of this in the 37 other games.
In the midst of passing the ball between the back-line in their own penalty area, of all places, Romeo Lavia passed straight to a charging Diogo Jota.
He slipped past goalkeeper Alex McCarthy. Roberto Firmino left four minutes later with his memento of a goal that brought the Saints to life. The score was 2–2, before Kamaldeen Sulemana grabbed a second and Adam Armstrong scored his side’s fourth.
Diogo Jota scored twice in Liverpool’s thrilling 4-4 draw with Southampton on the last day of the Premier League season
Kamaldeen Sulemana scored his first two goals for Saints as they came from 2-0 down to lead 4-2 against the Reds
The 21-year-old striker had gone goalless in his previous 17 appearances after joining in the January transfer window.
One had to double check the crest on the home team’s shirt to see how and why they performed so well in some periods of the match.
Their attackers took every chance. At least it gave the fans something to brag about, and James Ward-Prowse and Theo Walcott a fitting farewell.
And how they both deserved it, having been with the club since they were eight and eleven respectively.
Following Ward-Prowse’s standing ovation at the end, manager Ruben Selles said, “Prowsey has been here for 20 years, captain for many seasons and he thinks he deserved that moment with the crowd to close out the season.”
The Reds eventually drew level, but for them it was largely about the two men drawing one last time. James Milner was gifted the captain’s armband on his 619th appearance in the Premier League; Firmino got his 362nd.
The pair are adored by these supporters, and with good reason; the Premier League and the Champions League are among their crowning trophies.
Their full-time ovation at least for one day obscured a decidedly disappointing campaign that saw Liverpool fail to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2016.
That is unacceptable in these parts, and Jurgen Klopp knows it.
Looking back at the opponents, he said: “We gave Southampton the chance. We opened the door, they were obviously ready. I have to say, Southampton seems to be a very nice club, you can feel why it is an important club.’
On the season for his part, Klopp added: ‘Yes, very, very (glad it’s over). There were times in the season where you thought the season would last four years!
“We are very disappointed that we didn’t make the top four. We played a bad season, we finished fifth: that is also a message.’
Pre-match chatter between the Southampton fans was about what second tier life will bring and whether they can return to the promised land on their first try.
Collecting twice in 15 minutes was definitely not the best exercise. After Jota scored his tap-in, Firmino filled in.
The Brazilian pushed a defender to the ground, hopped past another two before firing into the bottom left corner.
The Reds fans stood up and cheered for their man, some waving Brazilian flags in tribute.
In keeping with the fast pace of the game, Ward-Prowse answered within five minutes, Carlos Alcaraz’s through ball that allowed his captain to crawl into the net with speed.
After 28 minutes they were even. Sulemana beat Joe Gomez on the ball and smashed under a diving Caoimhin Kelleher. The goalkeeper should have done better, the ball bounced off him before going in.
James Ward-Prowse also scored in what will likely be his last game for his boyhood club following their relegation
Legendary Reds striker Roberto Firmino marked his last Liverpool appearance with a goal after 14 minutes
Jota’s brace means he has scored seven goals since April after failing to find the net last year
Within a minute of the restart, Sulemana got his second after dribbling from in front of the halfway line to avoid the heart of the Reds midfield and defense to score again.
Then Jordan Henderson uncharacteristically passed the ball to Adam Armstrong, who was pleased with a finish.
Liverpool would cut the match to four apiece thanks to Cody Gakpo and Jota’s strikes. Mo Salah, indeed on a rare bad night, hit the post with a chip 10 minutes from time.
Although, today it didn’t really matter. It was all about one team going down and four men pulling out.
Firmino waves goodbye to Liverpool supporters as he leaves the club this summer as his contract expires
James Milner also played his last game for Liverpool – both he and Firmino spent eight years at Anfield
It will be a season Jurgen Klopp (left) would like to forget after they fell from title challengers to the Europa League last year