RUNNERS-UP ..BUT BY NO MEANS LOSERS
Reds acclaimed as heroes despite falling short in this epic title race
IN the end, their name was on the trophy for just 21 tantalising minutes.
Yet at the final whistle, Liverpool’s players were treated to the acclaim reserved for champions.
It’s a pity that such a thrilling title race did not get the showstopping climax it merited.
For a few precious moments there was that tension, that hint of another miracle, as news swept Anfield of a Brighton goal, and fever swept the stands in its wake.
But it didn’t last. It couldn’t endure. Instead, it finished with the bizarre sight of a blue moon cast in the bright summer sky over Anfield as Manchester City completed their task with only a brief flutter of fuss.
The players left the pitch to a chorus of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ almost as rousing as that delivered on Tuesday night after the Barcelona miracle.
It was heartfelt – a thanks to this team for everything they have given, the joy they have brought.
They may not have won the title but they have restored Liverpool as a genuine force in football, not only in the Premier League but in Europe too.
They are feared and renowned across the continent once more, a team the rest of Europe recognises as amongst the elite.
And given the position they were in when Jurgen Klopp arrived, that is a small miracle too.
What that has done, even before a Champions League final against Tottenham, is cement this wonderful venue as a destination for some of the best young players on the planet. That is important.
Not only do you get the sense that for the first time in years there is no threat of their biggest stars being cherry-picked – Mo Salah and Sadio Mane will surely stay, and most certainly Virgil van Dijk too – but the best young transfer targets can be attracted too.
That means something. Manager Klopp said in early March: “The message is, nobody gets rid of us.” Barca discovered that to their cost. City finally did it, but they most definitely learned how hard it was. Here Wolves discovered it too. With all the distraction from the south coast, Liverpool were not at their best, but still they muscled to a victory inspired by Mane, with goals carved from the increasingly magical right boot of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Twice he swung over searching crosses, twice Mane finished in style.
First the forward connected truly in front of goal after Alexander-Arnold (above) delivered low from the right flank in the 18th minute.
Then on 81 minutes he added a second with a fine header from another Alexander-Arnold cross. In between, Wolves created chances, but Alisson was equal to them. And there is the story of the season. At one end, the joint Golden Boot winners of Salah (right, with Klopp) and Mane. At the other end, the most clean sheets from a keeper since Ray Clemence back in 1979-80, a record which has earned Alisson the Golden Glove.
Only twice in the history of top-flight football in England has Liverpool’s final points total of 97 been bettered. And the mere 22 goals they conceded makes this the meanest Liverpool defence in Premier League history.
Maybe it’s no coincidence that centre-half Van Dijk, the PFA Player of the Year, was the first Reds player in eight years to play every league game.
With that spine, with the intelligence of Georginio Wijnaldum and Fabinho in midfield, the experience of James Milner and Jordan Henderson, and the delivery of Andy Robertson and Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool have proved what their manager warned two months ago: Nobody gets rid of them easily.