Liverpool beat Wolves 2-0 on the final day of the Premier League season thanks to a double from Sadio Mane, while Trent Alexander-Arnold also played well. Read our player ratings from the match here! The Reds finished the campaign with a win, but it wasn’t enough as Manchester City overcame Brighton to lift the league trophy. Despite finishing second, Jurgen Klopp can look back at the campaign with a lot of pride. Only losing once is some achievement, while two of the forwards finished joint top of the Golden Boot tally with 22 strikes. There is still the Champions League final to take part in as the quest for Klopp’s first trophy continues, and this win was a good way to prepare for that. Want your voice heard? Join the Rush The Kop team! Write for us! Mane’s double lifted him to the same heights as Mohamed Salah for goals scored, while Trent Alexander-Arnold picked up two assists has he finished with 12 for the season – one more than Andy Robertson. Alisson Becker continued to show his worth with some fine saves, while Joel Matip’s progression as a footballer was confirmed with another composed display. Click through the slides below to read the player ratings from the Wolves game. Each score is an average taken from ratings handed out by the Express, Mirror, Echo and This Is Anfield.<doc-sep>Liverpool were never at their free-flowing best against Wolves on Sunday, but a Sadio Mane-inspired showing earned the Reds a 2-0 win. The Premier League title agonisingly evaded Jurgen Klopp‘s side, as Man City clinched back-to-back triumphs after a 4-1 win at Brighton. Liverpool still managed to do their job at home to Wolves, however, finishing on 97 points—the most in a season in the club’s great history. It was Mane who found the net in both halves, producing two clinical finishes, sharing the Golden Boot award with Mohamed Salah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the process. While there will be obvious disappointment at missing out on title glory, Klopp and his players must feel proud of their efforts, and they have a Champions League final against Tottenham to look forward to on June 1. Here we compare our player ratings from the game with those from the Liverpool Echo, the Express, the Independent, Sky Sports, The Anfield Wrap, FotMob and the TIA readers. It was no surprise to see Mane (8.4) come out on top in the averages, following another star showing from the Senegalese. Liverpool’s No. 10 has been his side’s outstanding attacking player this season and it was fitting that he finished the Premier League campaign with a bang. This is Anfield’s Henry Jackson described Mane as “one of the best players in Europe at the moment” after the game, as he drew level with Salah and Aubameyang. Ben Pringle of the Express felt his movement “gave Liverpool a spark that was needed,” on a day when the all-round performance of the team was a little jaded after their excursions against Barcelona. Alisson (8.0) capped off a superb first league season with the Reds with another influential performance, taking home the Golden Glove award over compatriot Ederson. The Anfield Wrap’s Ben Johnson even hailed the 26-year-old as “the best keeper I’ve ever seen in the flesh,” with very few better in the world currently. Trent Alexander-Arnold (7.7) capped off an excellent season with another assist, meaning he has the most by a defender in Premier League history (12). Statistics website FotMob highlighted that the right-back won three of his four duels, made three key passes, six ball recoveries and five clearances. In truth, nobody came close to play poorly at Anfield, although Divock Origi (6.1) earned the lowest average after a quiet day leading the line. Jackson felt he “lacked the guile” of the absent Roberto Firmino and the Echo‘s Ian Doyle thought he “was caught offside too often and faded.” It is now a three-week break for Liverpool before the Champions League final against Tottenham—a game that could define this Reds side. They will head off to Spain for a training camp after a five-day rest this week, as Klopp and his players prepare for one of the biggest games of their careers.<doc-sep>The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Get our LFC newsletter for the best Reds coverage Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up now Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Alisson Becker 8 Made some good claims first half as Wolves responded strongly to going behind, and produced a string of fine stops after the break to conserve his clean sheet and win the Premier League Golden Gloves award. Trent Alexander-Arnold 7 Whipped in the cross for Mane's opener and while happy to break forward, was kept busy defensively down the flank. His assist for Mane's second made him officially the most creative defender in a single Premier League season. Joel Matip 8 Guarded Jota well and had time to initiate some attacks out of defence. Liverpool's best defender once again, Virgil van Dijk 7 The game was primarily kept away from the Dutchman. Some good clearances when required, although playing at walking pace at times. Hit the bar late on with a header. Andy Robertson 6 Often left one-on-one in defensive positions. Tested Patricio from range with a good hit, but that injury in midweek seemed to sap his energy. Subbed. Fabinho 6 Attempted to get Liverpool going while covering a lot of ground in midfield. Kept things simple but pretty effective. Gini Wijnaldum 6 Not quite the impact as of Tuesday but wasn't playing in as advanced a role. Could have nicked one at the far post second half. Jordan Henderson 6 Energy levels understandably dipped, but kept on going. No mistakes and managed to avoid injury ahead of Madrid. Mohamed Salah 6 Thrashed over one volley first half and was always on the verge of being a threat. Couldn't get the goal to win the Golden Boot outright, though. Divock Origi 6 Wowed with good control early on but was caught offside too often and faded. Close with a shot before being subbed, though. Sadio Mane 8 Took his two goals very well but was otherwise pretty quiet in general play. Not a bad knack to have. His ninth opening goal of a game, a joint best in the Premier League this season with Salah. James Milner (for Origi 64) 6 Did some Milner things. Joe Gomez (for Robertson 84) Win bonus. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (for Wijnaldum 89) Next season will be his.<doc-sep>Well, it all came down to the final day. The Premier League title rarely is decided on the final matchday of the season. It’s only fitting that two squads with the most memorable final matchday deciders in recent history, Liverpool (1989 vs Arsenal) and Manchester City (2012 with Sergio Aguerooooo’s 94th minute goal) had their title hopes hinge on the outcomes of Matchday 38. Will Liverpool really finish with 97 points–third best total ever in EPL history–and miss out on a trophy? And should their fans care, given their epic comeback over Barcelona and trip to the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final? The answers: Yes. And probably not. About those fans: Superb support as always from the Anfield crowd during that first half. 🙌🔴#LIVWOL pic.twitter.com/Huy5pQFOcj — Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 12, 2019 What an amazing group. Anyway, the back and forth live futures during the game were bonkers. Liverpool started at +550 to win the title to Manchester City’s -750. From there: Liverpool Mane goal City +340 Liverpool -390 Brighton goal City -115 Liverpool +110 City Aguero goal (83 seconds later) City -450 Liverpool +300 City Laporte goal City -1350 Liverpool +900 City Mahrez goal City -4000 Liverpool +1600 City Gundogan goal Odds off the board Huge credit to Anfield. They were supportive throughout, closing the match with a full-throated “We shall not be moved.” 🙌🙌🙌🙌 Liverpool end the season with a 2-0 win, one loss for the season, and 97 points. Liverpool Player Ratings Manager Jurgen Klopp (8) – Got the line-up selection right, as the most in-form / deserving players got starts. Made the right decision by subbing out Origi (who was having a fine enough game) and bringing in Milner to crowd the midfield with a 4-4-2. Goalkeeper Alisson (8.5) – While under attack, not necessarily challenged until the 69th minute, coming off his line for an important save. Another big save in the 73rd. Finished the year with an EPL leading 21 clean sheets. Defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold (8) – All TAA does is fire beautiful crosses. Gets the assist for Mane’s opener (UPDATE: actually wasn’t credited for the assist after a halftime examination…whatever…deserved it). Great deflection to close out and block a shot in the 55th. Got his assist though on the second Mane goal. Virgil van Dijk (6.5) – Typical monster self on aerials, but saw himself under attack often after Liverpool went up 1-0. Joel Matip (7) – A deserved final matchday start. Towards end of second half, was getting gashed, though headed away danger in the 45th. Utterly leveled Jota in the second half in a display of strength you don’t associate with Matip. Andy Robertson (6.5) – Back in the line-up after a minor injury scare, great touch to the near-Salah goal. Another wonderful cross that Gini almost converted. Still, not his best all around game. Save that energy for the UCL finals. Midfielders Jordan Henderson (7) – So good closing the season. Henderson earns the hockey assist on Mane’s opener with a brilliant ball to TAA. Tracked back well in the 52nd minute to clear a dangerous cross. Fabinho (8) – Is just a magnet for the ball. Always in the right spot. Some key tackles. It’s not just that Fabinho is a fulcrum of attack in his distribution, it’s the accuracy of his passes that stands out (over 90%). Georginio Wijnaldum (6.5) – Finds his way back into the starting XI after his heroics on Tuesday. Was more noticeable / active early, with a key interception to stifle an attack in the 16th. Subbed off late for Ox. Forwards DIVOCK ORIGI (6.5) – Divvy gets a well-deserved start in place of injured Roberto Firmino. Looked confident early, solid distribution and good runs. We’ve written it before, but Origi is just so damn strong. Where Firmino is solid on the ball due to superior balance, Origi’s simply solid. Wonderful pass to Mane and goal attempt in the 63rd before being subbed out for Milner. Sadio Mane (9) – Clinical finish on the opening goal. Earned a brace with another header, tying him for the Golden Boot lead with Salah and Aubameyang. Mohamed Salah (7) – Welcome back, Mo. After missing the Champions League semifinal match at Anfield with a concussion, Salah got to trade in his “Never Give Up” shirt for his red New Balance jersey today. Showed no ill-effects early. Cheeky and aware back flick in the 7th minute. Robbed of a goal in the 25th off a great strike and feed from Robbo. Kept fighting (for that Golden Boot) until the end of the game. Substitutions James Milner (7) – Came on for Origi to help control the Wolves attack, as Klopp shifted to a 4-4-2 with four midfielders. It worked. Joe Gomez (NR) – Came on late to spell Andy Robertson. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (NR) – Came on late to rousing cheers for Gini. MAN OF THE MATCH Would’ve been Fabinho if not for the second Mane goal. Mane ties for the Golden Boot title with a brace, he earns it.<doc-sep>
Liverpool beat Wolves 2-0 but missed out on the Premier League title on Sunday, with Sadio Mane again starring for the Reds. Liverpool 2-0 Wolves Premier League, Anfield May 12, 2019 Goals: Mane 17′, 81′ Alisson (out of 10) – 8 Alisson went into the game level with Ederson in the clean sheet stakes and he secured the Golden Glove award—a deserved honour after a supreme first season on Merseyside. The Brazilian was rarely tested in the first half, but he was far busier after the break, producing a great save to deny Diogo Jota, also thwarting him minutes later. His handling was always safe and he distributed the ball in typically precise fashion. Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7 After a stellar showing against Barcelona in midweek, Alexander-Arnold again played his part in a Liverpool victory. The 20-year-old’s cross set up Mane for the opening goal of the game, although the aid of a deflection meant it wasn’t officially given as an assist. He wasn’t to be denied, however, teeing up the Senegalese brilliantly for his second of the match, highlighting his technical expertise. Joel Matip – 7 Matip’s form has been excellent of late and he was again reliable at the heart of the Reds’ defence. Liverpool’s general dominance of possession meant he wasn’t called upon too often in a defensive sense, but there was nothing that could be faulted about his display. Virgil van Dijk – 7 The PFA Player of the Year finished off an immaculate season with yet another assured showing, proving as cool and composed as ever. The giant Dutchman has been given big tests in 2018/19, but he shone in all facets of his game and hit the crossbar late on. Andy Robertson – 6 Robertson recovered from injury to start at Anfield, but he was never at his marauding best. One superb strike was well saved by Rui Patricio and he provided energy up and down the left flank, but he was also guilty of giving the ball away cheaply a few times. Fabinho – 7 Fabinho was colossal in midweek and his importance to the cause was clear again on Sunday, albeit not quite as noticeably. On the ball, the Brazilian was slick and unruffled, while his ability to win tackles and use his physicality makes him one of the best defensive midfielders in the business. Jordan Henderson – 6 Henderson has been in a rich vein of form for a number of weeks now and he was effective but limited on a day when lifting the Premier League title just evaded him. The Liverpool captain played his part in Mane’s goal, playing a neat one-two with Alexander-Arnold, and his work rate was as relentless as ever. His final ball was lacking, though, and he looked jaded, as so many Reds did after their midweek excursions. Gini Wijnaldum – 6 Wijnaldum regained his place in the team at the expense of James Milner, but this was a more subdued performance than his goalscoring heroics on Tuesday night. The midfielder kept things neat and tidy and knitted things together, but it was easy to watch the game and forget he was playing. Mohamed Salah – 6 Salah was aiming to seal back-to-back Golden Boot awards on Sunday but he ended up level with Arsenal‘s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, having drawn a blank. Liverpool’s No. 11 was never at quite at his best throughout the afternoon, find himself on the periphery of things and occasionally proving a little greedy. One volley that over flew over the Kop crossbar was his most noteworthy moment. Sadio Mane – 8 (Man of the Match) The Senegalese’s form has been imperious since the turn of the year and he proved to be the match-winner against a dangerous Wolves side. Mane took both of his goals clinically, summing up the confidence he is playing with, and he joined Salah and Aubameyang at the top of the Premier League scoring charts. One of the best players in Europe at the moment. Divock Origi – 6 Liverpool’s unlikely man for the big occasion led the line in Roberto Firmino‘s absence, but he was very quiet on an ultimately deflating day. The Belgian hit the target early and fired over in the second half, but he lacked the guile of Firmino and it blunted the Reds’ attacking play. Kept trying, though, and his contribution at the back end of the season cannot be ignored.