Aston Villa supporters let the mask slip with a series of baffling chants during Monday’s 3-3 draw with Liverpool, including “sign on” ringing out at Villa Park.
Heading into Liverpool’s final away game under Jurgen Klopp, there was a sense among many fans that the hosts would be welcomed into the Champions League.
With Villa needing a win to guarantee a spot in Europe’s top-tier tournament before the final day, though, when the Reds took a 3-1 lead the home supporters let themselves down.
Bizarrely, Villa Park saw ‘Sign On’ and ‘God Save the King’ sung by thousands, along with a rendition of the altered Steven Gerrard song for their former manager.
It left many Liverpool fans watching on disappointed with the behaviour of their Villa counterparts.
Poverty chanting and the national anthem.
Top Torying, Villa fans.
— Andrew Beasley (@BassTunedToRed) May 13, 2024
Villa fans singing ‘Sign On’ and ‘God Save The King’? Stay classy lads
— Neil (@BurpleMan) May 13, 2024
Thought Villa fans might be above the poverty chants.
Not sure why.
— Carl (@Carl_M79) May 13, 2024
Reckon the villa fans might be better cheering their team on instead of singing about poverty and then doing the national anthem and seemingly not understanding the irony in their actions
— Jayke Brophy (@JaykeBrophy) May 13, 2024
Villa fans singing sign on and god save the king is so disappointing.
A city with one of the worst unemployment rates in the country, and I guarantee the King doesn’t give a shit about any of you.
— ShirtsOnTheWall (Jamie) (@balcony_shirts) May 13, 2024
Villa fans signing “God Save the King” as if it’s some sort of wind up rather than a pathetic anthem sung by bootlickers.
— And Could He Play (@andcouldheplay7) May 13, 2024
And even more baffling was the abuse towards referee Simon Hooper, who was somehow dubbed “the Scouser in the black” by the home supporters.
'Who's the scouser in the black' sing the Villa fans, after a VAR referee 100 miles away ruled out a goal for a factual offside.
Not to mention Simon Hooper's history with LFC/Klopp.
— Matt Ladson (@mattladson) May 13, 2024
Do Villa fans realise singing about the ref being the Scouser in the black is stupid considering who he is and what he did to us earlier this season?
— LFCZA ?? (@LFCZA) May 13, 2024
Sign on, the referee's a Scouser (Hooper!) AND the national anthem.
Covering yourselves in glory tonight, lads.
— Steven Kelly (@SteKelly198586) May 13, 2024
It is seemingly just par for the course now that, if things are going Liverpool’s way, opposing fans often turn to the anti-Scouse songbook to ‘get their own back’.
There was no tragedy chanting audible on Sky Sports’ broadcast, it must be stressed, but poverty chanting is frustrating enough.
Similar unfolded in recent years less than 60 miles away, with Leicester fans gaining a poor reputation with Liverpool for resorting to the same tactics.
Liverpool’s 3-1 lead was later overturned by a Jhon Duran brace, which saw a share of the points as Villa edge closer to a top-four finish.
Aston Villa 3-3 Liverpool
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