Firmino stood frozen on the spot. No matter how he thought about it, he simply couldn't imagine how Leo Lin had managed to score again.
When play resumed, there was very little time left, and Southampton had essentially given up.
Trailing by four goals with just three minutes remaining, unless someone descended like a footballing god and scored a goal every minute, suddenly channeled Tracy McGrady's miracle comeback, or goals suddenly counted for four points each, there was simply no way to pull the score level.
A few minutes later, the referee blew the final whistle!
Liverpool burst into celebration, while on the touchline Klopp calmly shook hands with the Southampton manager.
"Congratulations to Liverpool on another Premier League victory—an excellent result for them!"
"With 27 rounds of the Premier League completed, Liverpool remain at the top of the table, leading Manchester City by one point!"
"The two direct league meetings between the sides have already been played, with Liverpool unbeaten—one win and one draw."
"With 11 rounds remaining and no more direct clashes between the top two teams, the Premier League title will now come down to who can maintain the more consistent form."
After the final whistle, the broadcast camera focused on Leo Lin. His record-breaking free-kick hat-trick had captured everyone's attention.
In an instant, the number one trending topic across the internet was filled with news of Leo Lin's four free-kick goals.
Liverpool's official club account quickly released a highlight compilation of all four of Leo Lin's free-kick strikes.
The video received an astonishing number of likes.
"How many years has it been since football produced a midfield genius like this? He reminds me of Matthäus, of Ballack, of Yaya Touré!"
"I've actually been wanting to say this for a while—doesn't anyone else think Lin plays a lot like Matthäus?"
"I'm calling him Matthäus 2.0!"
"Stop comparing him to everyone else—Leo Lin is Leo Lin!"
While the internet buzzed with discussion about Leo Lin's four free-kick goals, Ward-Prowse sat at home replaying the footage again and again.
His focus was different from most fans.
What interested him most was how Leo Lin had achieved such an extraordinary free-kick conversion rate through his own technique.
He carefully studied Leo Lin's run-up, analyzed the way he struck the ball, and tried to absorb those details so he could apply them to his own game and further refine his free-kick ability.
Leo Lin himself was also reflecting on his free-kick accuracy.
He hadn't expected to score four free-kicks in a single match. No one had ever accomplished such a feat before.
After all, free kicks were inherently difficult. Many teams preferred to use set-piece routines instead.
But even elaborate tactical combinations involving several players didn't guarantee a goal.
Taking the shot directly seemed the simplest option, requiring the least manpower—yet it was also the most difficult.
Because of this performance, Barnett suddenly had new leverage in negotiations with Liverpool.
This time, however, the discussion wasn't about a contract or salary.
It was about Leo Lin's squad number.
Barnett had long been dissatisfied with Leo Lin's current number. In his view, Leo Lin deserved something far more prestigious.
Or rather, he believed Liverpool's legendary number 8 shirt should belong to Leo Lin!
Throughout Liverpool's history, many legendary midfielders had worn the number 8.
Many crucial goals had also been scored by players wearing that shirt.
Now, Leo Lin had become the midfielder who regularly delivered decisive goals for Liverpool.
Giving him that number couldn't have been more fitting.
Of course, an agent normally wouldn't interfere in matters like this, so Barnett simply sent Mike a message.
But Leo Lin himself took the initiative and went to speak with Mike.
He had already prepared himself to take on the number 8 jersey.
"To be honest, it's not that we don't want you to wear it," Mike said as he looked at Leo Lin. "But you need to be ready for the number 8. Not in terms of ability—I'm talking about mentally."
Mike wanted to give him the shirt.
But first, he had to be sure Leo Lin was ready.
"When you wear the number 8, the fans won't look at you as just a young player anymore. The shirt carries meaning. Some supporters who cherish the number 8 will expect you to perform at the highest level."
"You'll have to live up to it. If you don't, they'll say you've failed the number 8—and the criticism will be far harsher."
"So if you tell me you're ready, the number 8 is yours."
Leo Lin didn't nod immediately.
He thought about it for a moment.
But only for a moment.
"Sooner or later, Liverpool's number 8 will be proud of me."
Mike burst out laughing.
Not out of ridicule—but because he knew Leo Lin truly was ready to wear the number 8.
Soon afterward, Liverpool released an official announcement.
All the fans knew that a remarkably talented young player had emerged in Liverpool's squad: Leo Lin.
Over the past several matches, he had brought tremendous energy to the team, scoring decisive goals and delivering assists in crucial games.
To show their support for Leo Lin, Liverpool officially announced that his squad number would be updated.
From this moment on, the number 8 belongs to Leo Lin.
Previously, Leo Lin had been wearing a high-numbered shirt with little significance.
When he first joined the senior team, his status wasn't high enough, and the main squad numbers had already been chosen by the established starters.
Now that the club had entered the phase where players could change numbers again, Liverpool knew the time had come to give Leo Lin a new one.
The legendary number 8 had remained vacant ever since Steven Gerrard left.
It wasn't that Liverpool didn't want to assign it.
It was simply that no one dared to wear it.
Everyone understood what it represented.
Originally, Liverpool had planned to give the number 8 to newly signed midfielder Naby Keita.
However, Keita's transfer included a loan-back clause, meaning he would spend another season at his former club before joining Liverpool in the next transfer window.
As a result, the number 8 remained vacant.
Now, Liverpool had decided not to wait any longer.
They had already found the new owner of the legendary number 8 jersey.
The number 8 is an extremely important shirt for midfielders—and at Liverpool, it represents the soul and honor of the club.
When Leo Lin learned that Liverpool wanted him to wear the number 8, he immediately agreed.
That same evening at 8 PM, Liverpool released Leo Lin's official number 8 jersey photos across all platforms, along with the caption:
"Liverpool FC is honored to announce that Leo Lin will wear the number 8 jersey for the remainder of the season!"
After Leo Lin's number 8 was officially confirmed, Barnett went to a physical jersey store.
He wanted to buy a Leo Lin jersey as a keepsake.
The store normally opened at 8 a.m., and Barnett arrived at 10 a.m. before walking inside.
"Boss, I'll take a Lin number 8 jersey!"
The shop owner smiled.
"You're here at 10 a.m. to buy Lin's number 8 shirt?"
Barnett looked puzzled.
"But don't you open at 8 in the morning? It's only 10 now."
The owner laughed even harder.
"Yes, I opened at 8 this morning."
"But if you wanted one, you should've been waiting outside at 8 last night."