The sting of relegation may have had time to settle in, but is still a bitter pill for Saints fans to have had to swallow this season. With their fate sealed and Championship football looming, the final Premier League matchday this Saturday against Arsenal at St Mary’s offers little more than a chance to play for pride. Yet, in these moments of despair, memories of past defiance can offer a sliver of hope, a reminder of what the team, and the St Mary's faithful, are capable of. Fans will undoubtedly be hoping for a performance echoing the spirit, if not the exact scoreline, of a similarly fated final day encounter not so long ago – a truly astonishing 4-4 draw with Liverpool.

On that sun-drenched afternoon, with Southampton's relegation to the Championship already a stark reality and Liverpool's fifth-place finish confirmed, the atmosphere at St Mary's was surprisingly vibrant. 

It was a day for poignant farewells and unexpected fireworks.

The most resonant moment, perhaps, was reserved for captain James Ward-Prowse. 

As he made way in the closing stages of that thrilling encounter, the entirety of St Mary’s rose in a sustained, heartfelt standing ovation. 

After more than 400 appearances, a career forged in the fires of Saints' academy, it felt like a significant chapter was closing, a goodbye heavy with emotion and gratitude. 

It was fitting, almost scripted, that the skipper, who had given so much to the club, was replaced by an academy graduate, Sam Amo-Ameyaw, making his debut – a symbolic passing of the torch.

The match itself was a rollercoaster, a perfect encapsulation of a season of 'what ifs' and fleeting brilliance. 

It was Ward-Prowse’s typically precise goal that ignited a sensational comeback after an early Liverpool onslaught. 

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The Reds, with Diogo Jota and the departing Bobby Firmino finding the net, had stormed into a seemingly unassailable 0-2 lead within the first 15 minutes, leaving the St Mary’s supporters, who had commendably filled much of the ground despite the futility of the occasion, fearing the worst.

But then, the fightback. Charly Alcaraz, another spark in a difficult season, orchestrated Ward-Prowse's ninth league goal. 

Then, Kamaldeen Sulemana, the club's record signing who had only arrived in January, truly announced himself. He bagged his first goals for the club, one either side of half-time, the second a moment of individual brilliance as he picked up the ball in his own half, surged towards the Liverpool box, and expertly finessed his shot into the corner. 

Suddenly, incredibly, Saints were ahead.

The delirium reached fever pitch when substitute Adam Armstrong raced through to clip home a fourth, his first touches leading to only his second league goal of the season.

Manager Ruben Selles, on the touchline, must have dared to dream of a first win in 12 matches, a stunning send-off.

However, Liverpool, even with nothing tangible to play for, possessed too much quality to simply roll over. 

Cody Gakpo, a player Saints had pursued the previous August, finally found the net at St Mary’s, before Jota grabbed his second with a thunderous strike, levelling the scores with a quickfire double-salvo. The game also saw a rapturous applause for Theo Walcott in his final game for the club, and a welcome return for Tino Livramento.

Even with the scores level, the drama wasn't quite over. 

Mohamed Salah hit the woodwork with an audacious lob, and then came that poignant substitution. Ward-Prowse, the heart and soul of the team with 409 appearances to his name, made way for 16-year-old Amo-Ameyaw, the adoration from the stands a fitting tribute.

Now, as this current, difficult season draws to its close against Arsenal, the circumstances are grimly similar – relegation confirmed, nothing but pride on the line. The hope for the fans crowding into St Mary's this Saturday will be for a performance imbued with that same courageous, almost reckless abandon shown against Liverpool. 

They'll yearn for a display of heart and fight, a brief, brilliant flash of excitement to carry them into the uncertainty of the Championship, just like that unforgettable, chaotic, and ultimately uplifting 4-4 draw.