Match report: Liverpool finish second after win against Wolves

Sadio Mane scored both goals in the match at Anfield, tapping in with 17 minutes played and heading home late on to seal his side’s 30th win of the league campaign.

But it was not enough for the Reds to overtake Manchester City, who clinched the championship with a 4-1 victory at Brighton and Hove Albion.

Jürgen Klopp’s men will now turn their attentions to their second successive Champions League final appearance next month, with Tottenham Hotspur the opposition in Madrid.

Team news

Klopp made two changes to the XI that began against FC Barcelona on Tuesday night, with Georginio Wijnaldum and Mohamed Salah replacing James Milner and Xherdan Shaqiri respectively.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was fit to take a place among the substitutes again.

First half

Liverpool kicked off on the front foot though without opening up the visitors, Divock Origi’s low shot from right to left a straightforward save for Rui Patricio early on.

But they found a breakthrough in the 17th minute courtesy of a neat move started and finished by Mane for his 21st goal in the Premier League this season.

The No.10 spread play out to the right from deep and immediately moved unmarked into the area to side-foot home after Trent Alexander-Arnold completed a one-two with Jordan Henderson and sent in a deflected cross.

Andy Robertson drew a decent, punched save from Patricio with an angled drive from 20 yards as the Reds, confidence buoyed by the opener, pushed for a second.

However, the match itself then drifted into an unusual lull as two quickfire goals were confirmed at the Amex Stadium – Brighton and Hove Albion briefly leading before a City turnaround.

Order restored on and off the pitch, Salah clipped an ambitious volley high into the Kop from a half-cleared Liverpool corner and Wolves then served a reminder of their own attacking threat in the last real action of the first half.

A quick switch of play from left to right saw Diogo Jota nudge an inviting pass into the supporting run of Matt Doherty in the right channel, whose sweeping effort cracked off the crossbar.

So the Reds took a one-goal lead into the break at Anfield and, with City now ahead at Brighton too, the status quo at the Premier League summit remained.

Second half

Alexander-Arnold took charge of a promising free-kick situation three minutes into the second half but the right-back’s attempt to thread the ball around the wall and inside the near post went wide.

From there, Wolves enjoyed perhaps their best period of the contest to that point, pressing Liverpool in at the Kop end and trying to use their natural width.

Raul Jimenez slashed a shot into the crowd when he found time to try his luck on the hour mark, though, and the Reds then fashioned a big opportunity to double the lead.

Origi’s lofted pass into Mane’s run in behind was returned into the middle, where the former could only hook a strike over the crossbar under late pressure.

Alisson Becker preserved his 21st clean sheet of the Premier League campaign with an excellent one-on-one save when Jota collected a long diagonal and aimed at goal.

And the Brazilian denied the same man as the clock ticked towards the final quarter-hour, Alisson catching Jota’s header from Jimenez’s flick on inside the box.

Wijnaldum was unable to turn in Robertson’s dinked delivery on the stretch at the far post but Liverpool did soon get a second goal to secure all three points.

Alexander-Arnold was the provider again with a sublime swinging cross for the waiting Mane to deftly guide a header past the reach of Patricio.

And so Klopp’s remarkable Reds ended an outstanding league season with only one defeat but one point short of back-to-back champions City.

Onto Madrid.