On a sun-drenched Anfield afternoon, Liverpool's Champions League dream all but ended. And while it wasn't really how the script was supposed to play out, it just had to be Roberto Firmino who at least saved the day.
What was supposed to be a suitable prelude to the roaring send-off that Firmino, James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain so richly deserve, fell flat as Jurgen Klopp's side were held to a 1-1 draw in the penultimate game of a difficult campaign that will now only return them Europa League football, barring a shock collapse from either Manchester United or Newcastle. Both now need just one point from their final two games.
Instead, Aston Villa proved themselves to be the chief spoilers and Anfield was subjected to a day that was largely made up of frustration and angst. That was until the 89th minute, at least, when Firmino scored his 110th and likely final goal of a decorated, trophy-laden and memory-filled eight years on Merseyside. There won't be another like him, that is for sure.
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Back in the squad after missing the last six matches with a muscle problem, Firmino was never going to lose his fitness battle for this one. His second-half cameo rescued the Reds from a second home defeat of the season with a late finish from Mohamed Salah's cross after Jacob Ramsey's first-half effort for the Villans.
Perhaps the only surprise following that equaliser was that he didn't finish with a flourish by winning a game that Villa's time-wasting antics helped ensure went past the 110-minute mark in total.
A little over 20 of those had been played when Ibrahima Konate brought down Ollie Watkins inside the penalty area. The Villa striker dusted himself down and placed the spot-kick wide but the visitors had the lead moments later, through Ramsey who finished smartly at the back post from Douglas Luiz's cross.
It was probably harsh on the Reds but they were punished for a sluggish and subdued start to a game that very much had an end-of-season feel to it. Manchester United's win over Bournemouth means Klopp's side can now surely only finish as high as fifth. Given the troubles across the last nine months, they have done well to get to this point.
Liverpool thought they were level before the hour mark but Cody Gakpo's goal was chalked off for offside after a combination of Emiliano Martinez and Tyrone Mings had blocked Konate's initial effort in a move that also involved Luis Diaz and Virgil van Dijk, who was believed to be the offender by the officials on VAR.
"Van Dijk was in an offside position from Luis Diaz's header," the Premier League said. "The VAR recommended a review, and referee John Brooks determined it was a deflection off Enzri Konsa, not a deliberate play."
Villa's efforts to eat away at the clock were designed to agitate both the crowd and the players and it was a plan that worked superbly. Trent Alexander-Arnold's angry kicking of the ball after conceding a foul on Ramsey told its own story, while the sight of the Reds’ players gesturing to referee John Brooks over the amount of time Martinez was keeping hold of the ball for was a regular one.
Klopp sent on Firmino, Milner and Kostas Tsimikas as well introducing Diogo Jota and Harvey Elliott before they eventually got their reward for a much-improved second half. It was not the winning sign-off from Anfield ahead of next week's curtain-closer at Southampton but it didn't make the post-match cheers for those leaving the club any less impactful. The club's success during these last few years has been too great for that.
"Champions League, you're having a laugh," sneered those in the away end and it was a chant that was, regrettably, fair game. But while the absence of a season away from Europe's top table will sting those inside the club, it cannot be used as mitigation to prevent what still, despite what is now a 10-game unbeaten run, needs to happen in the coming weeks in the transfer window.
There's a rebuild that needs to be tackled proactively and aggressively and bean counting must not hamper what Klopp is able to do. Not this time. The departures of Firmino, Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Keita depletes the numbers but crucially frees up a sizable chunk of weekly wages that can now be assigned to those who arrive this summer.
Liverpool's Champions League hopes - and they only ever were hopes in the final weeks of a difficult campaign - have now almost been extinguished completely and while the well-documented riches of the European Cup won't be pouring into the Anfield coffers for 2023/24, owners Fenway Sports Group simply cannot hide behind those financial implications if they are as serious as Klopp about getting this team back towards the summit of game.
In the meantime, work is now set to be stepped up significantly on the £80m Anfield Road expansion project with the roof now set to come off on Monday. By the time the Reds welcome back Premier League football in August, they will be playing host to some of their biggest crowds in decades. A new era is fast approaching off the pitch and it is one that must be mirrored on it.
But the forward planning, the transfer targets and the budgetary meetings can wait, if only briefly. This day was about the departure of legends; players who won it all at Anfield during their time. For Keita, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Milner and Firmino: this was their day.
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