It was an emotional afternoon at Anfield on the final day of the 2022/23 season as four players who have won it all were waved goodbye. Liverpool’s impressive winning run came to a frustrating end as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Aston Villa, all but ending their hopes of Champions League qualification. Jacob Ramsey opened the scoring minutes after Ollie Watkins failed to convert from the penalty spot, only for Roberto Firmino to sign off his Anfield career with an almost inevitable equaliser late on. Fans paid tribute to James Milner with a banner that read “Ribena for my men, we ride at dawn” in reference to his famous post-match words after the Champions League semi-final victory over Roma in 2018. Jurgen Klopp joked about Cody Gakpo’s stud marks after Tyrone Mings was awarded with just a yellow card for a high tackle on the forward. Mohamed Salah’s daughter once again ran towards the Kop and put the ball in the back of the net as the players’ families made their way onto the pitch post-match. Andy Robertson was seen holding Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s baby as the midfielder came out for his guard of honour. Roberto Firmino was presented with the cult ‘Golden Samba’ award from the Kop and spent time signing autographs and taking photographs with hundreds of supporters after the match. It was an emotional farewell for these four players who have given so much to Liverpool Football Club and will be sorely missed.
