As referee John Brooks performed one final blast of his whistle at the end of the Premier League meeting between Liverpool and Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon, the 54,0000 supporters packed inside Anfield tried to prepare themselves for what was to come next.
But after eight years, seven trophies, and a collection of memories to last a lifetime, nothing could prepare the famous, old stadium for the farewell of one of its most celebrated sons. That, of course, being Roberto Firmino.
The Brazilian was, along with James Milner, making his final Anfield appearance as a Liverpool player over the weekend. It comes after his decision to move away from Merseyside after watching his minutes on the pitch dwindle over the last 18 months as Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo all arrived at the club.
