Sadio Mane scores a double as Liverpool seal Champions League spot and third place

It was an achievement which looked impossible only two months ago as Jurgen Klopp’s side sat eighth in the table and looked destined for the Europa League at best

Sun, 23 May, 2021 - 18:10

Richard Tanner

Liverpool 2 Crystal Palace 0

Liverpool’s nightmare season ended on a high after two goals from Sadio Mane against Crystal Palace ensured they qualified for the Champions League and finished third in the Premier League – an achievement which looked impossible only two months ago.

As recently as March, Jurgen Klopp’s side sat eighth in the table and looked destined for the Europa League at best. But a 2-0 win on the final day means they ended the campaign with five victories in a row to turn their season around.

The comfortable victory was secured when Mane stabbed home from an Andy Robertson corner after 36 minutes and then fired in a deflected shot in the 75th, taking his season’s tally to 16.

It was greeted with a roar of relief from fans on the Kop after a season in which a terrible injury list, including talisman Virgil van Dijk and more recently captain Jordan Henderson, saw their team go from champions to also-rans, finishing 17 points adrift of new winners Manchester City.

The match also featured a standing ovation for midfielder Gini Wijnaldum, who is expected to leave the club this summer, but there was no goal for Mo Salah who missed out on the Golden Boot to Tottenham’s Harry Kane.

Liverpool: Alisson 6, Alexander-Arnold 7, Phillips 7, Rhys Williams 7, Robertson 7 (Oxlade-Chamberlain 90), Wijnaldum 6 (Milner 77; 6), Fabinho 6, Thiago 6, Salah 8, Firmino 7 (Jota 90), Mane 9.

Unused subs: Adrian, Henderson, Jones, Tsimikas, Shaqiri, Neco Williams.

Crystal Palace: Guaita 7, Ward 6, Tomkins 6 (Schlupp 58; 6), Cahill 6, Mitchell 6, Kouyate 6 (Kelly 90), McCarthy 6 (Van Aaanholt 88), Riedewald 7, Townsend 6, Ayew 5, Zaha 6.

Unused subs: Butland, Mateta, Clyne, Rak-Sakyi.

Referee: Craig Pawson