Come on, now. You didn’t really expect anything different, did you?
After all, nobody in the Liverpool squad has a great sense of the dramatic than Roberto Firmino.
On an afternoon when Anfield said farewell to four players who had contributed to the glory years under Jurgen Klopp, the Brazilian was undoubted the most beloved of supporters.
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The strains of ‘Si Senor’, his trademark song, could be heard long before the first whistle was blown on an emotional and, in some ways, remarkable afternoon.
But by the time Firmino was thrown on for his final home outing with 18 minutes remaining, Anfield was not a particularly happy place, angered by Aston Villa’s time-wasting tactics, some desperate officiating and an alarmingly below-par performance from the home side.
For someone who lives his life with a smile on his face, this simply wouldn’t do. This wouldn’t do at all.
Sure enough, as the clocked ticked down to the 89th minute and with Liverpool running out of ideas to equalise Jacob Ramsey’s first-half opener, Firmino decided it was time to act, reaching first a Mohamed Salah cross from the right wing and thumping home a volley from close range.
For the Brazilian, it was a 54th and final goal on his 173rd appearance in front of the Kop.
Anfield absolutely erupted. Firmino, though, had only one thing on his mind, retrieving the ball and the racing back to restart the game, stopping only briefly to drop to his knees and point to the sky in celebration. There was a game to be won, even if Liverpool eventually fell short to effectively end hopes of Champions League qualification.
Given Salah has previously benefited to a great extent to the unselfish work of Firmino throughout his Anfield career, it was a particularly fitting combination on which to say goodbye.
When he initially left the field after the final whistle, Firmino was in tears, consoled by compatriot Alisson Becker as he departed and given a huge hug from Darwin Nunez.
But by the time he returned in joining Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for an individual guard of an honour from his team-mates, Firmino was sufficiently composed to take in one final lap of appreciation, serenaded one more time by his song and waving to the Anfield crowd one last time before disappearing down the tunnel for good.
Thanks for everything, Bobby. If Klopp's Liverpool could be summed up in one player, it is the Brazilian.
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