Firmino keeps Liverpool in the fight for the Champions League

In his final shift at Anfield, Roberto Firmino, who bid farewell to the Liverpool temple on Saturday, kept his team alive in the Champions League battle by equalizing Jacob Ramsey’s goal for Aston Villa and giving the ‘Reds’ what they dream until the last day of maximum continental competition.

Liverpool, who spent minutes flirting with a farewell to the Champions League – their first since 2016-17 – played an embarrassing draw in the closing minutes thanks to a goal from Firmino, who leaves at the end of the season, who equalized Villa’s opening goal through Unai Emery, who almost sealed his pass to European competition next season.

And it is that the draw tasted worse for Villa than it did for Liverpool, because Emery’s men were better than Jürgen Klopp’s men by minutes, especially in the first half when they needed only 20 minutes to give the ‘Pool’ their first big to frighten. .

In a lightning-fast transition, John McGinn put in a first-round through ball for Ollie Watkins’ run, who was taken down for one-on-one by Ibrahima Konaté. The penalty was clear, but Watkins missed from the penalty spot and shot low and wide.

The top scorer broke free in front of The Kop stands, unlike Jacob Ramsey just five minutes later, when he took advantage of a mistake by Trent Alexander-Arnold, who missed the target, sent a cross to the far post from Douglas Luiz in the net.

The goal satisfied those from Birmingham and accelerated the ‘Reds’, who met with an impassive VAR that didn’t even validate Mings a red card for a kick to Gakpo in the chest, nor a possible penalty for tripping Henderson and who also awarded a goal disallowed. for offside to Cody Gakpo.

Neither the technology nor his poor football throughout the game marked by the failures that were the ones above especially a Mohamed Salah who failed to score ten games later at Anfield helped Liverpool draw so Klopp had to bring Firmino off the bench who after said goodbye to Anfield eight years ago, to do the ‘Red’ fans one last favor.

The Brazilian completed a pass with Salah’s outside two minutes from time and equalized, giving Liverpool one last hope, who tried it during the long ten-minute discount.

But the 2-1 didn’t come and Liverpool will have to win on the last day and Manchester United lose to take fourth place in the Premiership and stay out of the Champions League five years later.

For their part, Villa will need to match Tottenham Hotspur’s result to secure their place in the Conference League and to get into the Europa League they will need to add one more point to Brighton & Hove Albion who still have three games to go. to go.

Source: El heraldo

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