Deep in the injury time, the moment was hardly registered as a footnote to an exciting afternoon. But it provided an accurate snapshot of the enduring influence of a key Liverpool player.
When Manchester City tried to put pressure on a tiresome defense of the Reds, Gini Wijnaldum took possession of near his own area and sprinted before being hacked to the ground by an agricultural challenge Kyle Walker was rightly booked for.
It had been such an afternoon for Wijnaldum, who fought fire alongside Jordan Henderson in a two-man midfield, on which Jürgen Klopp’s decision to start with a Front 4 placed further responsibility.
Indeed, when Wijnaldum had no choice but to quit his post and provide cover on the left, Kevin De Bruyne had the freedom to feed Gabriel Jesus to level City in Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Etihad .
The fact that the Dutch international was commissioned to join his skipper in the role underscores the trust Klopp continues to have in the player.
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Whether in midfield, in an attacking position, in a two or three-man engine room, in a three-man defense or 18 months ago in Barcelona as number nine – Wijnaldum was a mainstay.
Since the start of the 2018/19 season, no Liverpool midfielder has played more minutes than Wijnaldum, a sign of both his quality and perhaps equally important longevity.
The Dutchman has played 80 of the last 84 Premier League games and only two Champions League games since joining Anfield from Newcastle United for £ 25m in the summer of 2016.
Unsurprisingly, he was again the midfielder Klopp relied on the most this season.
Today Wijnaldum celebrates its 30th birthday and is an interesting time.
A sign of his heightened profile was the announcement this week that he will take over the captain’s armband for the Dutch national team while ailing teammate and compatriot Virgil van Dijk is recovering from a serious knee injury.
The bigger hint of his importance, however, came in the summer when former Dutch boss Ronald Koeman targeted the midfielder who took over at Barcelona.
Circumstances dictated that the transfer did not take place. Wijnaldum entered the final year of his contract with Liverpool despite capturing Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich.
Thiago’s injury and coronavirus problems have limited the Spaniard to just 135 minutes since joining. The Reds are hoping he could be available again for the Premier League visit to Leicester City currently scheduled for Saturday.
The sheer volume of play – Liverpool have 12 in 43 days when they return from international hiatus – means rotation will be the buzzword in midfield.
But it was fascinating that Thiago, Fabinho, Henderson and Wijnaldum were available at the only opportunity in the engine room. It was the Dutchman just a minute away from the bench when the other three started the 2-2 Merseyside derby at Everton last month.
A sign of the future or just another example of Klopp’s horses for courses? Only time can tell.
An increasingly clear sign is that this will be Wijnaldum’s final season with the Reds as talks about a possible contract extension have stalled for some time.
Few would give the Dutchman a free transfer next summer, be it to Barcelona or another leading European club. His exemplary service at Anfield means there will be no doubt about his commitment in the meantime.
There is more to come from Wijnaldum. And for a club that has made it a habit to elicit value for money from the transfer market, that £ 25million has long since proven to be another great deal from Liverpool.
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