Ninety-seven points. One defeat. Second place.
For this has not been a title lost or an opportunity blown, but a race fought from first day to last. And at the end of it all, a contest won by Manchester City on the day that a marathon became a sprint.
Liverpool’s final points tally would have won the Premier League in 25 of its 27-year existence — bettered only by this City side of the last two years.
For Jurgen Klopp, it is a statistic that makes the final result easier to accept, though even harder to understand.
« People might say we could have done this or that but not really, I don’t think [we could have done any more], » he told Sky Sports. « City were lucky in moments, we were lucky in moments. It was about staying in the race and believing and that’s what we did.
« When your opponent is City, it’s difficult. They couldn’t get rid of us and we couldn’t get rid of them. Being second in the Premier League is not what I wanted but we have to see it as the first step for this team. We have three weeks to prepare for the Champions League final – let’s give it a go. »
A 2-0 win against Wolves will succumb to the archives. It is the winners who are remembered. And Pep Guardiola’s City side did what a champion does — and in some style.
However, there was a spell — albeit a short, fruitless time — when all appeared to be pointing tentatively in Liverpool’s favor.
When Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cut-back on 17 minutes was met with the decisive thud of Sadio Mane’s right boot, Liverpool climbed above its great rival.
When Glen Murray nodded in to give Brighton a shock lead at the Amex Stadium on England’s south coast, the roars from the Anfield faithful could well have been heard among the seagulls more than 250 miles away.
But, perhaps appropriately in a season that has seen both Liverpool and City raise one another with win after win, Sergio Aguero equalized almost as quickly as his team had fallen behind.
