LIVERPOOL 1 – 1 BRENTFORD
Liverpool: Jones 58’
Brentford: Schade 63’
Pre-Match
This is it. The last match of the season, and the last time we’ll see Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson in the famous red shirt. There might even be some other seniors leaving this summer that we’re not privy to at the moment (looking at you Joe Gomez and Alisson), but for now, let’s take in and hopefully enjoy this last win with these titans of the club. Let’s sing their names in the stadium and the bars and the pubs and our homes, one last time,
because we can actually say we knew we had the good times before they’ve gone.
First Half
Who’s ready to get hurt? No one, no one is ever ready. But here we go, Liverpool have come out and Brentford takes the kick off and Liverpool win the ball back quickly. Both teams look up for it today in the full sunshine, and Liverpool win a corner early on. Salah’s effort goes well towards Konate’s head but it is collected easily by Kelleher (don’t worry this won’t get easier). At least the new kits for next season look great on the pitch. Ten minutes in we’re a little back to our usual, moving the ball around with no focus on getting it towards goal, even with Mo Salah on the pitch. We just need to beat the visitors but we’re too stuck on making sure everyone is in the right positions before making moves.
Liverpool win another corner around the 15th minute and it gets once again tantalizingly close but Brentford block everything well, and though the ball goes out to Rio Ngumoha, he isn’t quite prepared to hoof it as it should be sent. We look a little more prepared to score than Brentford do though so there’s at least that. There’s another chance at goal when the Reds are awarded a free kick just outside the box and Salah even takes it, but his effort hits the post and that seems about right for the whole day so far. Salah is looking for one last goal before he leaves Anfield for good, taking all of the set pieces, so it feels like something will come from him. There’s a brief pause for a water break because it’s over 70 degrees Fahrenheit there today (try not to laugh) and we’re back in action. Yes, let’s draw out this match as long as we can so we don’t have to actually say goodbye.
There’s a shout for penalty as Curtis Jones is barely taken down as he charges into the box, around the half hour mark, but the Brentford defender won the ball and it looks like Curtis was just looking for the advantage, which you know fair enough. Rio appears to be struggling a little under the occasion, not able to decide when to pass or twist, which is probably just due to his age and being still a child that apparently has the whole squad’s hopes pinned on him. There is another shot on goal as Ryan Gravenberch has a go but once again Kelleher shows why we shouldn’t have sold him and he dives it away for a corner for us. Salah sets up once again, it goes in and is punched away towards Rio and Liverpool take control again. Now, for once, we have a lot of shots, but no goals to show for it yet. Rio finally has a good bit of space, cuts in and takes a wonderful curving shot, but it goes just barely wide and we’re left wanting once again.
A few minutes left in the half and we get another corner, but it doesn’t get nearly close enough to be a threat for Kelleher and it appears the half is going to end goalless. There’s three minutes of added time for the water break and the set pieces, and Brentford actually get towards our goal but we’ve thankfully got Alisson back for the day and are less worried about the threat.
Second Half
We’re back out for the second half with – say it with me now – no changes made. Liverpool start shooting towards the Kop so hopefully Mo Salah’s last goal is exactly where it should be, in front of our most faithful fans. We just need one and we have the shots to back it up, we just can’t find the back of the net. Liverpool win a corner and Salah sets up again, but ultimately Szoboszlai takes over to whip it in but it goes a little too far to be productive. I’m going to have to brush up on my vocabulary in the off-season to be honest, I’m running out of eloquent ways to say we can’t score.
FINALLY there is a break in the tension, Curtis Jones is actually the one to find the goal, and briefly it looks like it won’t be given but THE FOOTBALL GODS BLESS US AND LIVERPOOL LEAD! Curtis’ first goal of the season and it comes on the last day. Hopefully the momentum continues to swing our way and Mo can go out on a high. Just kidding, the football gods give and they take away, as Brentford find an equalizer not even five minutes later. We switch off, they get their first shot on goal, and Alisson at full stretch can’t even stop it. We’re back to a baseline and have to find a winner – something we have really, really, really struggled with this season.
Slot finally looks to make a substitution as there’s another water break in the 68th minute, with Florian Wirtz readying to come on. We get restarted and the midfielder is waiting on the touchline, finally coming on for Rio Ngumoha, as well as Jeremie Frimpong for Mohamed Salah. Salah leaves after setting another record, becoming Liverpool’s all-time leading assists record holder. Only Mo Salah forever.
We have another pause in play as Konate is assessed after taking a hit to the head, but is deemed okay to keep playing and the defender goes off to come back on and Liverpool are given a goal kick. Konate is then somehow given a yellow for allowing a Brentford player to slap him in the face, and they get a free kick that is blocked decently but not without anxiety. We enter the last ten or so minutes of the season, with Robertson still on the pitch, and keep looking for the all important winner. If we win, we can save our spot in Europe. Slot makes another change, this time taking off Robertson for Kerkez and Gravenberch comes off for Trey Nyoni. Robbo gets a standing ovation as Salah did, including former captain Jordan Henderson on the Brentford bench (and that’s the only time I’ll mention him).
Joe Gomez comes on for Ibrahima Konate in likely the last change of the match, and maybe he’ll get a goal too before he likely departs in the summer. TEN MINUTES ARE ADDED AT THE END OF THE HALF FOR… SOMETHING??? TEN MINUTES??? OKAY. Time for Joe Gomez to score. There is a beautiful moment when Liverpool are in full flight, Wirtz gets the ball on the wing, crosses it over towards… someone… and it goes out for a corner. We have a corner in these 90+6’ and Joe, this is your chance. Just kidding, he’s held down and Kerkez heads it away instead of towards the goal. Another corner, and it still goes out and we get further away from a winner.
Final Thoughts
If by did the thing you mean we struggled our way through Salah and Robbo’s last match, yes we did. If you mean did we win? No, but we didn’t lose either. We can finally say goodbye to this absolutely cursed season, though, and that’s a win emotionally.
