Jamie Carragher paid a huge compliment to Roberto Firmino after he helped beat and keep the Premier League title race alive.
’s side came from behind to and take the title race down to the final day of the season.
The Reds knew defeat to Southampton would hand the title to Manchester City, while even a draw would effectively end the title race due to City’s superior goal difference.
Liverpool, who made nine changes following their final win over on Saturday, trailed early on after Nathan Redmond’s curling strike beat Alisson.
But Takumi Minamino equalised before half-time and Joel Matip scored the winner after the break to keep Manchester City honest.
Despite Liverpool’s comeback victory, Man City will still retain the Premier League title if they beat Aston Villa on Sunday, although any slip-up would be hugely costly, presuming Klopp’s side beat Wolves at home.
Anfield legend Carragher was impressed by Firmino’s performance against Southampton and claimed the Brazilian was arguably Liverpool’s ‘greatest player’ in the ‘Jurgen Klopp era’.
‘I thought he was brilliant,’ pundit Carragher said of Firmino.
‘He came on at the weekend in the cup final and he wasn’t great, actually, in that. You can understand these players not being up to speed sometimes.
‘But in the first 10 to 15 minutes tonight when Liverpool weren’t at their best, he and Harvey Elliott were brilliant.
‘When you think what he has done for this football club. He wasn’t signed by Jurgen Klopp, he was signed by Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool weren’t sure what to do with him.
‘Does he come from the side or does he play in the pocket, is he a No 10? Jurgen Klopp then plays him as a No 9.
‘In some ways, it was the last place you would think he’d play because he hasn’t got great pace and he is not the biggest really. But what he has done for this club, the miles he has run and the job he does.
‘You can say the quality he has, but it is what he brings to this team in the past, maybe not so much now, but we are talking about players who accept their role in the team and then come in and make a difference, he is right at the top of that list.
‘When you talk of the great players of the Jurgen Klopp era, and go right through the spine of the team, he is right at the top.’
Carragher also hailed Klopp for creating a culture at Liverpool that allowed them to beat Southampton despite making nine changes to the side.
but the club’s fringe players got the job done.
‘There is something that Jurgen Klopp has created and it is not just about how good the first-choice eleven is,’ the former defender added.
‘We know who the first-choice eleven is, they weren’t playing tonight. But when you have something special at a club it almost feels at times that you can put any set of players on and they play that way.
‘I go back a couple of years when Liverpool beat Everton with almost an under-23 team in the FA Cup. It is almost a mentality that goes right through the club no matter the line-up.
‘We know they are good players but let’s not kid ourselves, the reason they are not the first eleven is because they are not as good as those players.
‘But what he has created right through this club is the standard that he expects, that spirit, that mentality. He is just an absolute revelation.
‘What he went through last season with the injuries – and all teams get injuries, I am not making excuses, but it was all in the one position and it was a really tough season. He lost his mother through Covid and he said it was the toughest season of his life.
‘To come back and be in the position Liverpool are in after signing one player in the summer, who was a squad player, who was absolutely unbelievable tonight and at the weekend, Konate, and to be in this position where they can do something that has never been done before.
‘Yes, the players deserve unbelievable credit, but it is all down to that man. Liverpool have a very, very special man at the top of their club.’
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