Southampton and Liverpool share eight goals in seesaw draw on day of farewells

Pack up the euphoniums, lay down the drumsticks, put away the trumpets. If they thought that the Premier League would last for ever they were wrong. There is always something slightly mournful about the pre-kick-off playing of “When the Saints Going Marching In” and perhaps never more so than on Sunday with the brass band hinting it could be one of the casualties of the cost-cutting that will inevitably follow relegation. The chaotically defiant, entirely un-funereal, performance that followed does not change that.

That is the sad truth when a team goes down. The players, the first-team coaches and the directors will, by and large, be fine. Fans may weep, but for all the self-pity of a sub-set of modern support, most will be back next season, happy enough at a day out with family or friends, whoever the opposition. The people who suffer are those in less visible roles, the academy coaches, the analysts, the catering staff and – perhaps – the brass band. That’s where the cuts fall and where they are felt.

It was a day of farewells. Liverpool said goodbye to Roberto Firmino and James Milner, neither of whose contracts have been renewed after eight years; Firmino’s future is unclear while it seems likely Milner will begin his 22nd season as a pro at Brighton. Southampton probably said goodbye to James Ward-Prowse, given a standing ovation as he was taken off with four minutes to go.

They definitely said goodbye to Rubén Sellés who turned up, looked the part, had the enormous advantage of not being Nathan Jones, managed to embarrass Tottenham and, more consequentially, Arsenal with 3-3 draws but won just twice. His lasting impression on English football is likely to be alongside Ricky Sbragia, Terry Connor and Xisco Muñoz as