Jurgen Klopp’s tenure as manager of Liverpool ended on a positive note as his side claimed a comfortable victory over Wolverhampton Wanders on the final weekend of the Premier League season at Anfield on Sunday. The German will step away from management, and it will be on a positive note as Wolves never recovered from the early red card for Nelson Semedo.
Liverpool finished off their season and ended the Jurgen Klopp era with a 2-0 win over Wolves at Anfield.
The Kop serenaded the German with a rousing, tear-inducing rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone before kick-off and the side repaid their emotion with a routine win.
Goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Jarell Quansah came within six minutes of each other towards the tail end of the first half. The first of which was a headed effort from the Argentine, before young defender Quansah became the last player to score under Klopp, getting on the end of Mohamed Salah’s effort.
Klopp pays tribute to fans, ‘the superpower of world football,’ in emotional farewell speechKlopp pays tribute to fans, ‘the superpower of world football,’ in emotional farewell speech. The pair of goals came soon after a red card for Nelson Semedo in the 28th minute, which practically put to bed any hope that Wolves had as The Reds dominated the game from then on.
As the game approached its end Anfield roared into life, clapping and cheering and crying for their honourary Scouser.
Liverpool finished the season in third with just a Carabao Cup to their name, but it marked the end of an extraordinary era at Anfield.
All good things must come to an end. With that, Klopp bids farewell to Anfield and the city of Liverpool bids farewell to a man they embraced and adored for almost nine years.
Liverpool said farewell to Klopp not necessarily in style, but in Liverpool’s style. They were sharp, quick, dominant in possession, and lacked just that little bit of accuracy.
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‘The most intense week’ – Klopp gears up for final match as Liverpool manager
Mac Allister opened the scoring with a deft header, getting on the end of a lovely cross from Harvey Elliot in the 34th minute. It has been easy to forget that it is only the 25-year-old’s first season at Liverpool but he shone throughout it as another shrewd piece of business by Klopp and the recruitment team.
Six minutes later, Quansah doubled the lead. The young defender poked the ball into the Wolves net by getting on the end of a weak Salah shot that took a deflection. The goal was twofold, becoming the 1,223rd goal scored this season – a new all-time record for the Premier League.
And it was, of course, the final goal of Klopp’s Liverpool career. Like Mac Allister, Quansah’s introduction at a young age and his ability to thrive is another example of what Klopp leaves behind.
The final score of 2-0 could have, and arguably should have, been much more than that. Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah both had ample chances and could not find the back of the net. The latter of the two has struggled with finishing recently, but the forward still looked like his lively self against Wolves.
For the visitors, it was a disappointing performance at the end of what has been an optimistic season. But their game was over once Semedo’s boots touched Mac Allister’s ankle. The Portuguese defender was given a yellow, but referee Chris Kavanagh, who Klopp previously said “did not have the level” to officiate at this level of football, upgraded it to a red after VAR’s input.
Perhaps with Semedo, they may not have allowed Mac Allister to so easily get in space for the opening goal.
But for Liverpool the goals and how they came feel like semantics. Late in the game, as the clock ticked towards the 94th minute, Anfield erupted in applause and cheers. Its faithful were realising who they were losing and showed gratitude for what he would be leaving behind.
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Jurgen Klopp speaks after the the Premier League match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield on May 19, 2024 in Liverpool, England.
Klopp walks away with a legacy of eight trophies behind him, including a historic UEFA Champions League win in 2019, punctuated by that thrilling comeback against Barcelona in the semi-finals. Truly the end of an era.
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TALKING POINT – CAN ARNE SLOT IN?
While the love and gratitude for Klopp will never fade, eyes will soon turn to next season and an new manager to come in. Earlier this week Feyenoord coach Arne Slot confirmed he would replace Klopp as Liverpool manager this summer.
The Dutchman won the Eredivisie in 2022-23 and saw Feyenoord through to the final of the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League in 2022, losing to Roma.
At one point this season Liverpool were ready to challenge on four fronts, but ultimately finished with just the Carabao Cup. The title challenge faded as The Reds took 12 of 24 points in the Premier League final run-in.
Slot will need to build on Klopp’s work and make subtle tweaks rather than a summer overhaul. But there is a lot at Anfield for him to mould and turn into a winning side.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH – ALEXIS MAC ALLISTER
The World Cup winner has had an excellent first season at Anfield and the will be one of the players that Slot can build his team around.
But the Argentine showcased his attacking credentials once again against Wolves, netting the opening goal with a glancing header on the end of Elliot’s cross.
He is so effective when he has that freedom to roam forward and pop up in the final third and reinforced that against Wolves.
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PLAYER RATINGS
Liverpool: Alisson 7, Alexander-Arnold 7, Quansah 8, Van Dijk 8, Robertson 7, Endo 7, Elliott 8, Mac Allister 8, Salah 7, Diaz 7, Gakpo 7
Substitutes: Szoboszlai 6, Nunez 6, Jones 6, Gravenberch 6, Bradley 6
Wolves: Sa 7, S.Bueno 6, Kilman 6, Toti 5, Semedo 4, Gomes 7, Lemina 6, Bellegarde 6, Ait-Nouri 7, Cunha 6, Hwang 6
Substitutes: Bentley, Doherty, Traore, Neto, H.Bueno, Doyle, Gonzalez, Chirewa, Fraser
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
28’ RED CARD! Semedo’s yellow is upgraded to a red after a check from VAR. Can’t have too many complaints about that as a neutral. Semedo’s foot goes over the ball and lands on the Argentine’s ankle. It looks quite bad in slow-mo.
35’ GOAL! LIVERPOOL (MAC ALLISTER) LIVERPOOL 1-0 WOLVES – BIG smile from Klopp as Mac Allister’s shot hits the net! Trent lays it off to Elliot, who swerves into the box with a great delivery and then the Argentinian heads it past Sa.
41’ GOAL! LIVERPOOL (QUANSAH) LIVERPOOL 2-0 WOLVES – The Reds double their lead against 10-man Wolves. It’s Quansah who pokes in one the line at the end of Salah’s effort, with Wolves having been unable to clear their lines from the corner.
86′ NO GOAL! – Doherty heads over Allisson and emits a sudden roar from the Wolves supporters but the defender is just offside. Klopp’s clean sheet not spoiled yet.