Ghanaian international Kamaldeen Sulemana bagged a brace, while Togolese-descent Dutch international Cody Gakpo scored once as already-relegated Southampton and Liverpool played out a 4-4 draw in an eight-goal thriller at the St. Mary’s Stadium on Sunday.
The Black Stars forward, who joined the Saints in the winter window for a club-record fee of £22m, got his side’s third and fourth goals, while Gakpo got Liverpool’s third goal on the final matchday of the 2022–23 Premier League season.
It ends in a draw after a breathless, back-and-forth encounter at St Mary's. pic.twitter.com/UeaVuWN667
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) May 28, 2023
Diogo Jota and the outgoing Roberto Firmino, who was playing his last game for the Reds, put Jurgen Kloop’s side 2-0 up inside the first 14 minutes, but English midfielder James Ward-Prowse drew one back for the home team with a beautiful finish from inside the 18-yard box.
An incredible Reds career complete ❤️ pic.twitter.com/8iNdL7VIrE
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 28, 2023
Nine minutes after Ward-Prowse’s goal, Sulemana drew the Saints level, slotting the ball past stand-in goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher with a first-time strike for his first Southampton and Premier League goal.
The 21-year-old got his second of the game to put his side ahead two minutes into the second-half restart. After picking the ball up from his own half, Sulemana goes on a darting run past Liverpool players before finishing off a curling effort into the bottom corner.
Substitute Adam Armstrong made it four for the home team within 60 seconds of being on the pitch. The former Blackburn Rovers forward intercepted a pass from Jordan Henderson before sprinting past the Reds’ defenders and finishing calmly with his left foot.
Gakpo, who came in as a substitute for Curtis Jones, made it three for Liverpool in the 72nd minute. The Dutch forward tapped into an empty net from a Trent Alexander-Arnold pass after fine team play from Harvey Elliot and Jota.
Jota drew Liverpool level a minute later with a well-struck right-footed finish, assisted by Mohamed Salah, who almost added another twist to the match afterwards, but his lofted effort over Southampton’s goalie Alex McCarthy struck the woodwork.
The match ended shortly after with the Saints scoring a quartet of goals at home for the first time since January 2022, when they defeated Brentford 4-1. It was also the first time two teams played out a 4-4 draw in the Premier League in over 11 years.
