Liverpool saw off outgoing manager Jurgen Klopp with a 2-0 win over 10-man Wolves, with Anfield fans finally bidding farewell to their beloved manager after eight and a half years.
Klopp wore a black cap and sneakers for his 491st and final game and although there were tears, the atmosphere was one of celebration.
Kopp have revived some old favorites in their songbook, paying tribute to some now-dead coaches – Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Georginio Wijnaldum , Jordan Henderson, Divock Origi.
Fittingly, however, two players represent Liverpool’s long-term future – Alexis McAllister, signed as part of last summer’s midfield revamp and 21-year-old centre-back Jarrell Quasa – The goal came after Nelson Semedo was sent off.
After nearly nine years of stability, there is uncertainty at almost every turn as most of the backroom staff will be replaced by Klopp and the 30-somethings Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Terence Alexander-Arnold and others entered the final year of their contracts and left.
Incoming Feyenoord boss Arne Slaughter has a lot to deal with, but he’s at least left behind a team that might well have been at the end if not for a brief two weeks in April. In a one-day title race, instead of offering support.
The records he left behind are almost too numerous to mention, but in addition to seven major trophies, they also include Liverpool’s longest unbeaten record at home in the league – three years and 272 days between 2017 and 2021.
“This is the season where we aim for the moon and end up reaching the stars,” Klopp wrote in his program notes. “This is a club that is ready to take off in new and exciting directions and is more than ready to The club to end this journey.”
The game didn’t really get underway until the 28th minute, when Semedo was sent off for an excessive challenge on Mike Allister after VAR David Coote advised referee Chris Kavanagh to check the pitchside monitor.
Wolves want Premier League clubs to vote on abolishing VAR this summer but have little objection to it.
Mike Allister had his revenge six minutes later, rising between centre-backs Santiago Bueno and Max Kilman to head in Harvey Elliott’s inswinging cross.
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Alexander-Arnold volleyed in the corner as Wataru Endo’s shot was deflected around the post by José, and Cody Gakpo passed the ball to Salah at the far post, whose shot deflected off Bueno. It was up to Quasa to force the ball into the goal line.
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Van Dijk’s shoulder-to-shoulder challenge on Matheus Cunha left Wolves screaming for a penalty but there was no recommendation.
Klopp leaves with the best win rate (62%) of any Liverpool manager with more than 30 games in charge, and the first manager to win in his final game since Matt McQueen in 1928. This will be a journey of memories and emotions for the fans. For the last 10 minutes, people kept chanting his name.
