Roberto Firmino scored in his last game at Anfield to help Liverpool produce one of the close football results of the weekend in the Premier League. On his farewell appearance at Anfield, Roberto Firmino scored a late equalizer, but Liverpool’s winning run ended. Liverpool are now three points behind their rivals in fourth after Manchester United’s 1-0 victory against Bournemouth, although United still has two games left to play. Jacob Ramsey scored the game’s first goal (27) for Unai Emery’s well-organized squad, who were on the verge of becoming just the second club to win at Anfield in the Premier League in the previous 42 games. Ollie Watkins had already missed a penalty.
Firmino, a fantastic Brazilian who was in tears at fulltime, forced home the equalizer as stoppage time drew near after Klopp asked for James Milner and Firmino, both of whom are leaving the club in the summer. Following his FA suspension, Klopp watched the game from the stands. Tyrone Mings, who was generally fantastic, should have been dismissed in the first half for a very high tackle on Cody Gakpo. Gakpo also had a goal disallowed for offside after the interval. Aston Villa is aware that a victory over Brighton on the last day of the season will secure them a seventh-place position, which would qualify them for the Europa Conference League.
The referee in charge, John Brooks, was the guy in front of whose face Klopp celebrated against Tottenham, earning him a one-match touchline punishment and forcing him to sit out this game. In a competitive game when both teams were taking chances with their aggressive defensive high lines, Brooks was right in the middle of the action. When Watkins forced an untimely tackle from Ibrahima Konate, the referee gave him a perfect opportunity to score from the spot, but Watkins missed the target. A few minutes later, Ramsey saved Watkins from embarrassment as his skillfully struck volley from Douglas Luiz’s cross rattled past Alisson.
Although Liverpool failed to find solutions, Villa played with excellent control and aggressiveness, and they seemed lucky to end the half with 11 players on the pitch. Mings were only given a caution by Brooks for a high challenge on Gakpo, who received a hard boot to the midsection from the Villa defender. The tackle was examined by VAR, but no on-field review was started. After the interval, the same pattern persisted, with Villa’s high line making it impossible for Liverpool to organize persistent offenses.
After the break, Gakpo thought he had equalized when Mings blocked a Konate shot on the line, but VAR allowed Brooks to see the pitchside monitor and he changed his mind because Virgil van Dijk was offside during the play following a header from Luiz Dias. Although it didn’t seem like it would happen, Firmino appeared in the 89th minute and slipped in to finish Mohamed Salah’s low cross, setting up an exciting climax. Liverpool probed, but Villa’s defense stayed alert and under control. The least they deserved was a point.
“I believe the entire campaign is one where we qualify more for the Europa League than the Champions League. We were too long unable to accept ourselves. I believe we kept it very interesting. Seven weeks ago, I didn’t think it was possible. The guys excelled throughout that time,” Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said. “I believe our supporters loved it as well; you could see today that they are not upset with us and that they are eagerly anticipating the upcoming Premier League and Europa League seasons, as do I. When Bobby [Firmino] enters the game, he plays outstanding football, stays in the box, and he brilliantly scores. A wonderful tale that was richly earned. We have no justification for anything; it was simply difficult for us since we all care deeply about these four guys.”
“90 minutes can be analyzed in a variety of ways. I believe that we played pretty well in the first half, but it was difficult for us to evade the strong press and play with the personality that we did,” Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery said. “We played excellent defence, and our dedication was outstanding, so three points would have been amazing. I’ve played here before, so I am aware of how challenging a game can be at Anfield. They were hoping to finish in the top four and had their finest game of the season.”
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