Former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol has one last wish regarding Andy Robertson, after the much-loved Scotsman scored the Reds crucial second goal in the 3-1 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday.
While most of the post-match chatter surrounded Mohamed Salah‘s untimely injury knock and whether he will feature again for the rest of the season, it has quietly been forgotten about how stellar a performance Robertson put in against the Eagles.
Indeed, the 32-year-old defender – who is set to leave at the end of the season alongside Salah – was classy throughout, with Arne Slot now starting the passionate Glaswegian across Liverpool’s last three Premier League outings.
He certainly justified his manager’s selection choice by scoring Liverpool’s crucial second goal of the game on the 40th minute mark, with the number 26 – in his own words – delivering a “striker’s finish” on the counter to hand the Reds a two-goal cushion.
The Athletic’s James Pearce even noted that the emphatic finish was like “Suarez in his prime”, as Robertson bagged his first Premier League strike at Anfield since May 2024.
It was a glorious team move that resulted in Robertson putting the game beyond doubt, as the breakaway move started with Freddie Woodman denying a Palace equaliser as the game was 1-0 expertly, before the Scotsman slotted home to make it 2-0.
While it was a team move that got Liverpool over the line to put a convincing end to the Eagles’ three-game winning streak against the Reds, Anfield legend Steve Nicol did single out Robertson for praise when discussing the breathless encounter post-match.
Nicol’s praise for Robertson
It does make sense as to why Nicol has a soft spot for Robertson, with Nicol hailing from Scotland himself, alongside the fact that the 64-year-old was a determined, relentless defender during his playing days, like the 32-year-old still is.
According to Nicol, Robertson was the best performer overall during the 3-1 win over Glasner and Co. despite Woodman being clapped off at the close of his first-ever Premier League start for the Merseyside giants.
He said, when speaking to ESPN UK: “Woodman made three great saves and Liverpool, their opportunities when they came along, they took them.
“The best of the lot was Andy Robertson.
“Woodman actually made a fantastic save, Liverpool broke from that save, Andy Robertson, streaking through the middle of the park to make it 2-0, great little ball from Curtis Jones, then first time, left foot, bottom corner across the goalkeeper, which made it 2-0 and really changed the game.”
This is a bold call for Nicol to make, with Alexander Isak arguably changing the game more when he broke the nervy deadlock with a clever finish.
Moreover, if it hadn’t been for Woodman standing strong all match in between the sticks, minus the controversial Daniel Munoz goal, Liverpool might have struggled to win.
Still, Robertson is very deserving of his praise, too, with the number 26 set for an emotional farewell when his nine-year Reds stay comes to a close against Brentford on the final day.
Nicol even has one final-day wish for the much-loved Liverpool servant, which would make his swansong game against the Bees even more special.
Nicol’s final-day wish for Robertson
Robertson will just be praying that he doesn’t fall victim to the injury curse engulfing Anfield currently, with Salah now facing a race against time to be fit for the emotional final game of the season, having limped off with a hamstring concern on Saturday.
If he keeps up his revitalised form and he remains out of the treatment room, Robertson will surely be a shoo-in for a start against Keith Andrews’ visitors.
Nicol would love to see Robertson score one final goal for the Reds in the match-up with the Bees, with the one-time Hull City full-back surely champing at the bit with the prospect of beating ex-Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
He added: “It’s always nice when you see somebody in his position, leaving the club and they’ve been so good for the club and the team, to get a goal at home.
“It’s different when you score at home. When you’re away, you’ve got a little section of the crowd who are behind you and you enjoy it, but when you do it at home, it’s just different, it’s just a little bit more special.
“It would be nice if he could do it on the last day of the season, but he’ll take that with four games to go.”
It remains to be seen whether the number 26 has another memorable Anfield goal up his sleeve, as the reality of both Robertson and Salah leaving becomes very real, with May just around the corner.
