The echoes of the past had been unwanted until, at the last, there was a welcome nod to history. Liverpool can savour the sight of a left-back deciding a penalty shootout.
Alan Kennedy won the 1984 European Cup in that way and, 38 years on, Kostas Tsimikas secured the FA Cup in similarly nerveless style. Kennedy’s place in Anfield folklore was already secure before he finished off Roma. The unglamorous figure for the big occasion had scored the only goal of the 1981 European Cup final to beat Real Madrid.
