Roberto Firmino continued his fine form for Liverpool by scoring again, days after finding out he won't be going to the World Cup.
The Brazilian missed out on Tite’s
final 26-man squad for Qatar
on earlier in the week, but then scored his ninth goal of the season against Southampton.
Firmino was a regular for his national team even during last season when he struggled for Liverpool, but began this campaign on fire for his club.
However, that wasn’t enough to force his way into a star-studded Brazil line-up for the World Cup, with Richarlison and Gabriel Martinelli instead securing a spot.
In the aftermath
of the disappointing news
, Firmino was a late substitute for Liverpool in the Carabao Cup against Derby, and missed a penalty in a shoot-out the Reds eventually won.
But any signs of it impacting his game were wiped away as he placed a well-guided header into the Southampton net from an Andy Robertson free-kick in the sixth minute of Saturday's Premier League clash.
But Darwin Nunez was the man causing chaos at Anfield and scored twice to bring his tally for the season to five in the Premier League.
And after
Ivan Toney sent a message to England boss Gareth Southgate
with a brace to sink Man City, another World Cup snub made a point as Saints star James Ward-Prowse showed off his elite set-piece skills three minutes after Liverpool's opener.
The midfielder created Che Adams' equaliser with a glorious cross, just two days on from missing out on Southgate’s final Three Lions 26.
Firmino was far more likely to be travelling to Qatar than Ward-Prowse, but his club manager Jurgen Klopp admitted it shows just how good Brazil are.
“It’s a blow, definitely,” he said about the omission. “You couldn’t see it [the impact] in training, but definitely.
“It was [a blow] for me to be honest. I’m happy we have Bobby, but he deserves it. I think he deserves everything, to be honest.
“It just shows how incredibly good and talented this Brazilian squad is if you can leave a player like Bobby Firmino out. Madness.
“Of course, we will talk; we did already, and will maybe do again. He’s fine but, as everyone can imagine, very disappointed.”
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