Liverpool faced off against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield earlier this afternoon knowing that a win might not be enough to clinch the Premier League title. The Reds made an excellent start to the match and scored the opening goal of the game in the 17th minute when Sadio Mane found the back of the net from close range. However, Wolves refused to give up without a fight and went into the half-time break with just a goal down.
The second half was completely different as the visitors began to dominate possession and created some decent opportunities going forward. However, they were denied by some brilliant goalkeeping from Alisson Becker. Mane made the points secure for the home team in the 81st minute to cap off a fitting end to a fantastic campaign.
Liverpool ended up missing out on the league title due to Manchester City’s emphatic 4-1 win away at Brighton and Hove Albion. However, Klopp’s men have still got the UEFA Champions League final to look forward to which means that they could still end the season with some silverware.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player performed during the match against Wolves.
GK: Alisson Becker – 9/10
The Brazilian keeper kept his side ahead in the second half by making some world-class saves to deny the Wolves forwards.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 8.5/10
The English full-back was a bit troubled defensively, but he was once again a joy to watch in the opposition half. He ended this campaign with two assists to show for his efforts.
CB: Virgil Van Dijk – 7.5/10
It was another solid display from the Reds centre-back. Van Dijk did well to neutralise Raul Jimenez’s threat inside the Liverpool penalty box.
CB: Joel Matip – 7/10
The Cameroonian defensive ace put in another commanding display at the back. He could be a favourite now to get the start against Tottenham Hotspur at the Wanda Metropolitano on June 1st for the big final.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 6.5/10
The Scottish full-back could have scored with his powerful strike in the first half. He tried his best to keep Doherty quiet during the game and mostly succeeded. However, he looked like he was a bit low on energy which could be because of his heavy involvement in recent weeks.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 6/10
The Dutch midfielder made some well-timed runs from midfield, but he struggled to make an impact in the Wolves half.
CM: Fabinho – 7/10
The Brazilian midfielder broke down numerous Wolves attacks and put in a valiant display at the heart of the Liverpool midfield.
CM: Jordan Henderson – 7/10
The Reds skipper was full of energy and running in midfield. However, he lacked creativity in the final third.
RM: Mohamed Salah – 6/10
The Egyptian winger never looked like he had a goal in him. Maybe he is still a bit shaken up after his head injury against Newcastle United from the last weekend.
ST: Divock Origi – 7.5/10
The Belgian forward was full of confidence going into this game, and it was evident in his performance on the pitch. He hardly gave away the ball and did well to get his teammates into the game in the Wolves half. Origi came close to scoring when his attempt went over the bar in the second half.
LM: Sadio Mane – 9/10
The Senegalese speedster stepped up in the right moments to score a brace which was enough for Liverpool to win the game. On a personal level, he managed to tie his partner in crime, Mohamed Salah in the golden boot race as both Liverpool forwards finish this league campaign with a remarkable 22 goals each to their names.
Substitutes:
CM: James Milner – 7/10
The English veteran did well to bring some control back into the game for Liverpool in the second half.
CB: Joe Gomez – 6/10
He came off the bench to see out the win for the Reds.
CM: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – N/A
The former Arsenal midfielder came on to run the clock down for the home side.
