Day of drama to end them all — and we can’t allow it to be stolen from us again

Highs and lows of the final day show why owners must not be allowed to ruin our league

THERE was standing room only on the train to London Marylebone last Saturday as it carried fans from two of England’s great football tribes towards the FA Cup final. Liverpool supporters, in particular, were in fine voice as the train rolled through the enemy territory of the Home Counties, absorbing more and more Chelsea fans at wellappointed stations at Beaconsfield and Gerrards Cross.

Now and again, the strains of Liverpool’s favourite song of the moment, the homage to Jurgen Klopp, that is sung to the tune of I Feel Fine by the Beatles, filled the carriages. ‘I’m so glad that Jurgen is a Red,’ they sang. ‘I’m so glad he delivered what he said. Jurgen said to me, you know. We’ll win the Premier League, you know. He said so. I’m in love with him and I feel fine.’

Klopp and his team delivered that Saturday by the finest of margins to add a second trophy to their epic quest for the Quadruple, a feat that has never been achieved by an English side. That quest has come to dominate the narrative at the climax of this thrilling season and today, the last day of the Premier League struggle, it faces its most formidable obstacle.

On this day of days, a day when the joy of the competitiveness of our top flight reaches a magnificent climax and the battle for the title, the final Champions League place, the final European place and the escape from relegation will all be alive at kick-off, Liverpool know they have to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield to have a chance of winning the league. But they also know the destiny of the title is not in their hands. Because if Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, the team who have fought toe-totoe with Liverpool all season, overcome Aston Villa at the Etihad, then they will retain the Premier League trophy, win the title for the fourth time in five years and underline their claim to be considered the first great English dynasty to follow Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United.

The fact Villa are managed by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard adds another delicious twist to what is certain to be a day of drama and tension, elation and