Liverpool went back to the top of the Premier League with Thursday’s 3-1 win over Sheffield United.
After Conor Bradley’s own goal had cancelled out Darwin Nunez’s 18th of the campaign it was left to Alexis Mac Allister to light up Anfield with one of the strikes of the season before Cody Gakpo secured the points with a stoppage-time header.
But you knew all of that, of course. What you might have missed, however, were a series of intriguing subplots on the night.
Wilder makes honest Liverpool admission
Chris Wilder was down but not out as he made his way through the Anfield mixed zone after the game on Thursday night.
His Sheffield United side may be rock bottom at the foot of the Premier League but the Blades boss had seen plenty to encourage him for the final few weeks of the campaign.
And despite there being a general belief that the Sheffield United manager has a long-running feud with Jurgen Klopp – something that has been dramatised and exaggerated over the years – Wilder still had some positive words for Liverpool as he made his way to the team bus.
Saying goodbye to one particular member of the Anfield staff, Wilder insisted: “Good luck for rest of the the season, I hope you win it. And I mean that.”
It was a touch of class from a manager who hasn’t always been the Kop’s favourite in recent years.
Three cheers…for Chelsea?!
The cheers were particularly audible for the assembled media who were huddled around a smartphone for the final seconds of Chelsea’s dramatic victory over Manchester United.
Seconds after Cole Palmer had scored a barely believable 100th-minute penalty to make it 3-3, the celebrations from a nearby staff lounge could be heard quite loudly. There was no mistaking who they were lending their support to.
And while the initial thought was that it was Chelsea’s equaliser that was being saluted by the club employees at the time, seconds later it was revealed that it was in fact Palmer’s 111th-minute winner that was being heartily celebrated deep inside the bowels of Anfield
Liverpool are in little danger of finishing below United this term but clearly the oldest habits die hardest and there was plenty of joy to be found in United’s misery it seemed.
Who could blame after such a remarkable finish to events at Stamford Bridge? More of the same on Sunday, perhaps?
Nunez hammers the turf
Darwin Nunez was left angrily beating the turf in frustration after 74 minutes when he was refused a free-kick after a particularly firm challenge from Mason Holgate.
The former Everton defender’s aggressive challenge was deemed to be a fair one by referee Stuart Attwell, leaving Nunez seething and writhing on the deck.
As the play developed further down the field, the No.9 could be seen visibly punching the ground repeatedly in response to not being awarded the foul.
He might have had more than half a point but it was difficult not to see the comical side of the furious reaction from a player whose full-blooded efforts have made him a real hero on Merseyside.