Roberto Firmino scored on his farewell to help Liverpool produce one of the high-scoring football scores of the weekend in the Premier League. Saints’ destiny was already decided long before the final day, with their relegation officially announced two weeks prior. Nevertheless, they were determined to go out on top, coming back from two goals down to win 4-2 in a crazy but beautiful 90 minutes of play. With goals from Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino, Liverpool jumped out to a two-goal lead inside of the first 14 minutes. Firmino, who is departing the club amicably, had previously saved a draw against Aston Villa at Anfield.
James Ward-Prowse cut the deficit in half in the 19th minute after a deft pass from Charly Alcaraz and Kamaldeen Sulemana on the outskirts of the box. He then swept the ball past Liverpool’s backup custodian Caoimhin Kelleher. Nine minutes later, Theo Walcott discovered Sulemana, who had positioned himself low to trick Kelleher. This happened before the game had even reached the halfway mark.
After a rousing halftime speech from departing manager Ruben Selles, Saints came out firing and stunned Liverpool with another Sulemana goal, only his second since joining in January, before Adam Armstrong scored 49 seconds after coming off the bench as a substitute. In the 72nd minute, Cody Gakpo provided the necessary response for the opposition, converting on a lavish Trent Alexander-Arnold volleyed cross to set up Jota’s decisive goal less than 60 seconds later. Portugal’s forward was sent free by Mohamed Salah, who then left Lyanco in his wake before firing spectacularly into the top corner to tie the tense and utterly captivating match on the south coast.
Liverpool ended a disappointing season with a surprising 4-4 draw against already relegated Southampton after blowing a two-goal lead and coming back from 4-2 down in a game that was full of joy, frolics, and frailty. The bulk of goals were the result of the careless defense, but both teams adopted a “shackles off” mentality, rendering the game’s results ultimately meaningless.
Saints were relegated, while Klopp’s team had already earned an unexpected fifth-place finish. This resulted in a fascinating chaotic and frantic match at a sun-drenched St Mary’s. After Salah accidentally hit the far post and was denied late on by a superb save from Alex McCarthy, Liverpool came close to leaving Hampshire with all three points but had to settle with extending their league-best undefeated streak to 11 games.
The Saints were caught frivolously overplaying at the back, and Romeo Lavia gave Jota the opportunity to roll the ball into an unguarded net in the 10th minute, giving the Reds the chance to miss out on a top-four finish for the first time since 2015-16. Despite this, the Reds started the day with confidence despite knowing they would finish outside the top-four for the first time since 2015-16. Lyanco and Jan Bednarek were helpless to stop Firmino from scoring a parting goal to commemorate his final appearance, and the Brazilian quickly increased Liverpool’s lead.
Given the Saints’ dismal home record, the comeback was amazing. Captain Ward-Prowse found a lifeline before Sulemana was sent through by Walcott, who then slipped the ball past Kelleher to restore parity and end a frenetic first half. Sulemana finished off the Saints’ impressive comeback in style two minutes into the second session, and Armstrong scored a goal to make it 4-2 one minute after coming on to replace Lavia. Armstrong intercepted a bad pass from Jordan Henderson.
Gakpo, a former target for Southampton, then reduced the hosts’ advantage by converting Alexander-Arnold’s volleyed cross 18 minutes from time. Shortly after, Jota smashed Salah’s feed beyond McCarthy. The score decreased. Hopes of a victory on the last day faded. But everyone enjoyed themselves to the fullest—possibly with the exception of Klopp and Selles.
“Excellent start. best result. Between extreme disorder. too wide open. Southampton was invited for the counterattacks. That encapsulates the game,” Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said. “Today, eight goals may have been scored but also more goals could have been given up. It’s absurd. What use can you possibly make of such a game? Aside from the possibility that it amuses people. Especially for us. For a rival who wished to enjoy their final event, we open the door. No one would have been shocked if someone had scored a fifth. Top start, top finish, and pretty ordinary in-between.”
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