Liverpool player Roberto Firmino cries at his farewell match in front of the crowd at Anfield (Sport1)
With one more game left until the end of the season, Liverpool said goodbye to four players who made their final appearances at Anfield on Saturday: James Milner, Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain.
Firmino scored a dramatic late equaliser on his final appearance at Anfield for Liverpool to keep their chances of finishing in the Premier League's top four alive when he set up a 90th-minute 1-1 equaliser against Aston Villa, but even he knows it won't be enough.
Jurgen Klopp's side are fifth on 66 points with one game remaining, but three points clear of fourth-placed Manchester United who have a game in hand. The home team dominated the frantic final minutes as chants of "C Senior" were heard in the stadium, the song in honour of the beloved Firmino.
Now Newcastle United and third-placed Manchester United need just a point from their remaining two games to keep Liverpool out of the top four. Liverpool, six-time European champions, have not been absent from the Champions League since 2016-17.
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Firmino, Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain were part of the squad that won the Champions League in 2019 and helped the club win its first title in 30 years in 2019-20. Everyone received great love from the crowd, and as much gratitude as the Anfield crowd can express.
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Liverpool will play in the Europa League, and Jurgen Klopp admits: "It's fine. For too long this season we didn't play well, and we still managed to make it exciting. Seven weeks ago, I didn't think it would be possible at all."
Oxlade Chamberlain: "It's a surreal moment for me, I'm still not digesting. It's a beautiful way to say goodbye, no doubt. The crowd was amazing, as always, and I'm definitely going to miss it."
- sport
- World Football
Tags
- Liverpool
- Roberto Firmino
- Naby Keita
- James Milner