It was an afternoon of poignant farewells and an expected, but uncomfortable departure. It was always going to be.
Southampton have known they will be playing in the Championship next season since their 2-0 loss to Fulham on May 13; many expected as such weeks earlier. Though on Sunday, their divorce was enacted.
As with many separations, it comes to realisation once signed and delivered. The first goal, gifted to Liverpool, and subsequent leaky backline, were arguably symbiotic of the Saints’ season as a whole. But the rest of the performance displayed real, true grit; how they could done with more of this across the 37 other games.
Amid passing the ball between the backline in their own penalty box, of all places, Romeo Lavia’s passed right to an onrushing Diogo Jota.
He slotted past goalkeeper Alex McCarthy. Roberto Firmino left with his memento of a goal four minutes later, which sparked the Saints to life. The score levelled at 2-2, before Kamaldeen Sulemana nabbed 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 final day of the Premier League season
Kamaldeen Sulemana netted 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 as to how, and why, they were performing so well in some periods of the match.
Their forwards took each and every chance. It gave the fans at least something to boast about, and James Ward-Prowse and Theo Walcott a fitting send-off.
And how they both deserved it, having been at the club since the ages of eight and 11 respectively.
On Ward-Prowse’s standing ovation at the end, manager Ruben Selles said: ‘Prowsey has been here for 20 years, captain for a lot of seasons and he think he deserved that moment with the crowd to end the season.’
The Reds eventually levelled, but for them it was largely all about the two men signing off one final time. James Milner was gifted the captain’s armband on his 619th Premier League appearance; Firmino was handed his 362nd.
The pair are adored by these supporters, and rightly so; the Premier League and Champions League are among their garlanded trophy haul.
Their ovation at full-time at least glossed over, for one day, a decidedly underwhelming campaign which has seen Liverpool fail to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2016.
That is unacceptable in these parts, and Jurgen Klopp knows so.
Reflecting on the opponents, he said: ‘We gave Southampton the chance. We opened the door, they were obviously ready. I have to say, Southampton seem to be a really nice club, you can sense why it’s an important club.’
On his side’s season, Klopp added: ‘Yes very, very (glad it’s over). There were moments in the season where you thought the season would be four years long!
‘We are very disappointed we didn’t make the top four. We played a bad season, we come fifth: that is a message as well.’
The chatter between the Southampton fans before the match centred on what life in the second tier will bring, and whether they can bounce back to the promised lands at their first attempt.
Conceding twice in 15 minutes was certainly not the best practice. After Jota scored his tap-in, Firmino joined in.
The Brazilian shimmied one defender to the floor, skipped past a further two before striking into the bottom-left corner.
The Reds’ fans stood and cheered for their man, some brandishing Brazil flags in tribute.
In tune with the game’s high tempo, Ward-Prowse replied within five minutes, Carlos Alcaraz’s through ball allowing his captain to curl into the net with pace.
By 28 minutes, they were level. Sulemana beat Joe Gomez to the ball, striking underneath a diving Caoimhin Kelleher. The goalkeeper should have done better, the ball deflecting off him before going in.
James Ward-Prowse also scored in what is likely to be his final game for his boyhood club following their relegation
Legendary Reds forward Roberto Firmino marked his final 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 in the preceding year
Within one minute of the restart, Sulemana got his second after dribbling from before the halfway line to evade the heart of the Reds’ midfield and defence to score again.
Then Jordan Henderson uncharacteristically passed the ball to Adam Armstrong who obliged with a finish.
Liverpool were to get the match back to four a-piece thanks to Cody Gakpo and Jota’s strikes. Mo Salah, on a rare off night indeed, struck the post with a chip 10 minutes from time.
Though, today, that did not really matter. It was all about one team going down, and four men bowing out.
Firmino waves goodbye to the Liverpool supporters as he leaves the club this summer as he reaches the end of his contract
James Milner also played his final game for Liverpool – with both he and Firmino spending eight years at the Anfield side
It will be a season Jurgen Klopp (left) would like to forget after they fell from title challengers last year to the Europa League
