THE WILD BOYS
It was a moment that headline writers and social media hackers had been waiting for since January last year, when Jhon Durán crossed the Atlantic to join Aston Villa. With only one goal it wouldn’t make much sense; he would have to make a bracket out of it so that the whole thing clicks together. Moussa Diaby may have also recognized this when he made a pass at Villa Park in the 88th minute on Monday evening. All Durán had to do was get in the way and watch as the ball bounced off his thigh and past a wrong-footed Alisson to make it 3-3 against Liverpool. Yes, “Durán Durán” inevitably found its way onto the World Wide Web, and the Colombian forward’s late doppelgänger certainly helped Birmingham’s famed new-wave outfit get some tour tickets.
For Jurgen Klopp, it was another display of chaos, with his side’s attacking prowess negated by a defense leakier than the roof of Old Trafford. You have to go back to the blissful days of early March for Liverpool’s last clean sheet of the league, when Darwin Núñez’s 99th-minute header sent Nottingham Forest into one of their tantrums. That 1-0 win put Liverpool four points clear at the top, and they still had Big Vase and the FA Cup to play for. Sadly, it all fell apart: the success of the Milk Cup with the kids will remain the highlight of Klopp’s farewell tour.
That’s not to say Klopp’s final game at the helm on Sunday won’t be a special occasion. This remains the man who turned the laughter celebrating a 2-2 draw against West Brom at Anfield into jealousy as they secured victory. When Klopp inevitably stands in front of the Kop with his players after the match, eight and a half years after that much-derided feat, he will do so as the manager who won the first Premier League title. Big cup win after embarrassing Lionel Messi’s Barca, and a silly amount of nervy Wembley wins from Chelsea. But if you take away that shiny stuff, his period would still be unforgettable. Such is the joy that Klopp’s football brought not only to his supporters, but also to the neutral players.
Despite Liverpool’s current unpredictability, the final result against Wolves is quite clear to us: 5-5, a repeat of Sir Alex Ferguson’s last game in charge of Manchester United, away at the Hawthorns. Klopp will inevitably put on a final show at Anfield (much more entertaining than the £37-a-pop, stage-hosted event at the harbor a week later), letting his boys run free when they are 5-2 up. Expect Romelu Lukaku Pablo Sarabia to come off the bench at half-time to deliver a hat-trick that sets the side back. Nevertheless, Klopp will have a big grin on his face, and at the final whistle there will be a bear hug that turns Gary O’Neil red. There will be final fist bumps, but also tears, and there will be no kick-off at 12.30pm. The perfect farewell.
LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE
Join Barry Glendenning from 8pm BST for exciting minute-by-minute Premier League coverage of Tottenham 1-3 Manchester City.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I know 100% of Spurs fans want us to win” – Ange Postecoglou there, with his finger firmly on the pulse of North London before the game against Manchester City.
WIN A DAVID SQUIRES PRINT!
Thanks to our friends at the Guardian Print Shop, we’re giving away four David Squires cartoons over the next four weeks. To participate, simply write us a letter for publication below. We’ll choose the top winners of our Letter of the Day at the end of each of the next four weeks, and that worthy winner will receive a voucher for one of our top, finest cartoonist prints. And if all else fails, you can scan the entire archive of David’s cartoons here and then purchase your own. You can view the terms and conditions for the competition here.
Thanks to our friends at the Guardian Print Shop, we’re giving away four David Squires cartoons over the next four weeks. To participate, simply write us a letter for publication below. We’ll pick the top winners of our Letter of the Day at the end of each of the next four weeks, and that worthy winner will receive a voucher for one of our top, finest cartoonist prints. And if all else fails, you can scan the entire archive of David’s cartoons here and then purchase your own. You can view the terms and conditions for the competition here.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
Re: Football newspaper from yesterday. Yes, that’s clear evidence of a waterfall at Old Trafford. I would also expect an absolute downpour most weeks” – Stuart Macnab.
Re: your timeline of Kalvin Phillips’ West Ham loan (yesterday’s Hammer Horror, full email edition). You forgot to mention the payout… June 8: Recalled to Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the upcoming European Championship” – Guy Stephenson.
There has been a lot of talk lately about whether the Premier League is actually the promised land for smaller clubs or whether it is a slightly poisoned chalice. To answer this, what is the meaning of the following numbers: 1, 1, 5, 0, 9, 3, 2, 2? This is the number of wins each of the last eight Huddersfield Town managers have achieved since they went all out to beat Forest (and failed) in the play-off final. Not very nice to be a team on its way out of the top division” – Sean Brennan.
Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. The winner of today’s letter is… Stuart Macnab, who now has the chance to win a David Squires cartoon from our print shop at the end of the week. You can view the conditions for all this here.
RECOMMENDED WATCH
Speaking of the devil… it’s David Squires on Tottenham’s new fans and other end-of-season surprises.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING
A big football weekend calls for a star guest on our Women’s Football Weekly podcast. This week, Faye Carruthers and Suzanne Wrack are joined by Manchester United’s Aoife Mannion to discuss her team’s 4-0 FA Cup final win.
CAN POCH SOLVE YOU?
Mauricio Pochettino has taken his press conferences in several entertaining directions this season, and in his latest iteration he took the less trodden route of power ballads, telling hackers to stop asking him about Chelsea’s past. “The problem is that we were punished for the first ten games,” he barked. “Since then I think our form has been in the top four. I want to be positive. It sounds like the Coldplay song. We are stuck in the opposite direction. I’m a fan [of Coldplay], the song is Fix You. That’s the problem with the press conference, because I go to this or that and people are not happy with me.” We’re not fans of Chris Martin here, Mauricio [unless it’s the former Scotland striker – Football Daily Ed]but we expect that the crooner’s lyrics will resonate with the Argentinian this season:
🎵When you try your best, but it doesn’t work out🎵
🎵When you get what you want, but not what you need🎵
🎵When you feel so tired but can’t sleep🎵
🎵 Stuck backwards… 🎵
NEWS, BITS AND BOBS
Premier League chief Richard Masters says he has been “very clear” with 777 Partners about the conditions it must meet to complete a takeover of Everton, and that observers can draw their “own conclusions” about why the deal is still must be approved.
The increasing cultural significance of clubs means they should be used by the government to develop ‘social connections’ within communities, a new report from British Future claims.
Raphael Varane will leave Manchester United this summer. “Despite the fact that we have had a difficult season, I am very positive about the future,” the defender honked. “The new owners come with a clear plan and a great strategy.”
Arsenal Women will play eleven of their home games at the Emirates Stadium next season, making it the main venue for the team.
Millie Bright! Bright! Bright … is back in Sarina Wiegman’s squad for England’s Euro 2025 qualifiers against France, Ireland and Sweden in June and July. “Happy to be back,” cheered the Chelsea centre-back.
Crystal Palace are trying to convince sporting director Dougie Freedman that the grass would not necessarily be greener if he joined Newcastle.
Hibs have pushed Nick Montgomery through the door with Do One after just eight months in charge. David Gray will take over as caretaker for the next two matches. Feel it now, Babylon!
And in a possible blow to the Scottish Premier League’s TV ratings, Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers says he will watch Spurs vs Manchester City instead of Rangers’ match with Dundee – a match that could see his team wins the title. “Our only focus is on ourselves,” he honked.
MOVING THE GOAL POSTS
The latest edition of our sister email is out now and it’s definitely worth it, in which Rikke Sevecke writes about the heart condition that forced her to devote time to her career at the age of 27: “There is always something positive into something negative. It’s about being able to find that.”
DO YOU WANT MORE?
Spurs will not relax against Manchester City. It’s just not in the nature of a footballer, writes Jamie Redknapp. Yes, Jamie Redknapp!
Quiz! Quiz! Quiz! The most memorable quotes from the 2023-2024 season.
And here’s Jason Stockwood on how fluid poetry has defeated brutality in the battle for the game’s evolution, even in the lower leagues.
MEMORY LONG
Until April 1970, where a group of men huddle around a miniature television on the bonnet of a car outside Wembley to watch the FA Cup final between Leeds and Chelsea. Plenty of excitement for the diverse team as the match finished 2-2 and went to a midweek replay, with the Blues triumphing 2-1 after extra time.