6 talking points as Firmino seals Liverpool draw in fairytale farewell vs Villa
Roberto Firmino made it a fairytale farewell at Anfield as he scored a late Liverpool equaliser against Aston Villa.
The Brazilian attacker marked his final appearance in front of the Kop by stabbing home Mohamed Salah’s cross on his 361st outing for the Reds. Firmino’s leveller came after 90 minutes.
Villa’s Jacob Ramsey opened the scoring with 27 minutes on the clock, guiding a neat volley into the bottom corner. That came shortly after Ollie Watkins missed a penalty for the away side.
Liverpool thought they had equalised towards the end of the first half but Cody Gakpo ’s close-range finish was ruled out for an offside in the build up. Firmino, however, was on hand to grab a late point.
Here are the main talking points from a dramatic clash at Anfield:
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Same season, new kit
Liverpool used their final home game of the season to debut their brand new home kit for the 2023/23 campaign. Made by Nike, it is a nod to the shirt worn by Bill Shankly’s FA Cup winners of 1974.
Red in colour - believe it or not - the shirt features white detailing on the sleeves and a rounded collar. There is also a number 97 set between two eternal flames on the back, remembering the 97 fans who tragically lost their lives in the Hillsborough disaster.
It proved to be a mildly successful first run out in the new kit with Liverpool hoping they begin the new Premier League season in the same way they ended this one.
Klopp in the stands
Jurgen Klopp was in the stands as he serves a banVilla's Unai Emery was the only manager standing on the touchline at Anfield, with Jurgen Klopp serving a ban the first match of his ban. The Liverpool boss was handed a two-game ban for his comments on referee Paul Tierney.
Klopp claimed Tierney of being biased against Liverpool in the aftermath of the dramatic 4-3 win against Tottenham last month, with the Football Association labelling his comments as highly improper.
The German instead had to make do with feeding instructions from the stands, with assistant manager Pep Lijnders representing the club in the technical area and the home side sometimes lacking the motivation their head coach provides. Klopp should be back on the touchline for the season finale Southampton next week, though, as the second match of the ban is suspended until the end of next term.
Mixed calls from Brooks
Cody Gakpo caught a boot in the chest from Villa's Tyrone MingsIf Klopp took issue with Tierney’s officiating, then he could have no complaints with John Brooks’ decision to award Villa a penalty after 22 minutes. Watkins was sent clear only to be hacked down by Ibrahima Konate.
Brooks had no hesitation in pointing to the spot, despite the protests from the home supporters in a packed Kop end. The video assistant referee Tony Harrington agreed with the call and Konate was shown a yellow card.
Watkins got up and dusted himself down but couldn’t make the most of the opportunity, side-footing his attempt from 12 yards wide. The England striker has now missed five of his nine penalty kicks in the Premier League.
Klopp could be forgiven for thinking Brooks - and the VAR team - made an error towards the end of the first period, however, with Tyrone Mings lucky to stay on the pitch. The centre-back caught Cody Gakpo in the chest with a very high boot but was given a booking that remained unaltered after a check at Stockley Park.
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Villa are the real deal
Villa were ahead just five minutes after Watkins’ penalty miss, with Ramsey getting on the end of a teasing cross from Douglas Luiz. The midfielder made no mistake having ghosted in at the back post, guiding a volley into the far corner.
The next best chance of the first-half also fell Villa’s way. Luiz spotted Liverpool’s defenders napping as he stood over a free-kick, sliding a pass through to Ramsey to match his perfectly-timed run and Alisson had to be alert to deny the midfielder - and Villa - a second goal from close range.
Villa’s resurgence under Emery after the sacking of Steven Gerrard has been nothing short of remarkable and they are right to have European ambitions under the former Arsenal boss.
Liverpool stay in Champions League hunt
Firmino made it a fairytale farewellKeeping this Liverpool team - with Mohamed Salah, Gakpo and Luis Diaz - quiet is no mean feat and the hosts thought they were level 10 minutes after half time. After a goalmouth scramble with Mings clearing off the line, Gakpo poked the ball home from six yards.
The Dutch forward wheeled away in celebration in the belief he’d scored his seventh goal of the season, but referee Brooks spotted an offside in the build up when asked to check the pitchside monitor by the VAR and it was chalked off.
Liverpool continued to push and despite Villa's stoic defending, the result means Liverpool remain in the hunt to qualify for the Champions League. The Reds are still able to catch fourth-placed Manchester United on the final day of the season, although their Old Trafford rivals only need a draw to stay in the top four.
Firmino farewell
Liverpool brought on Firmino with 20 minutes to go, as well as James Milner. This was less about the Brazilian attacker’s impact as a player this afternoon but more about his incredible legacy.
Firmino was brought on to rapturous applause on his farewell appearance at Anfield, with Milner also departing the club at the end of his contract this summer. The pair have clocked up almost 700 games between them and leave as Liverpool legends.
And Firmino could hardly have made a greater impact.
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