It was a finish with somewhat of a flourish for the Premier League champions as the Reds bowed out of the prolonged 2019/20 season with a 3-1 victory away at Newcastle United to end the campaign on a club-record 99 points.
Jurgen Klopp’s men were shocked within the first minute when a quickly taken free-kick from Jonjo Shelvey put Dwight Gayle clean through on goal and he was a thorn in Liverpool’s side once again as he opened the scoring inside the first minute.
However, from that moment on, it was business as usual for Liverpool as they controlled possession, albeit they lacked a cutting edge with the regular front three sat watching from the bench.
The equaliser finally came when Virgil van Dijk towered above defenders to head home an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain cross before half time. The second half continued as the first had ended and a strike from outside the box from Divock Origi put Liverpool ahead.
All of the front three took to the field shortly after that goal and Sadio Mane got himself on the scoresheet soon after with a sumptuous long-range curling effort.
Liverpool finished the season with a remarkable 99 points from a possible 114, meaning across the last two seasons, this squad has amassed 196 points from 228, truly incredible standards.
Klopp and his players will now enjoy a well-deserved short break before returning to hopefully, do it all over again.
Here’s how we rated the Reds in the win over Newcastle.
Alisson Becker - 6
Didn’t have much to do outside of picking the ball out of his net inside the first minute!
Neco Williams - 6
Has plenty to learn yet and this experience will be useful. Could be ready to play backup to TAA next season if he continues to play as well as he did at St James’ Park.
Joe Gomez- 6
Finished the restart better than he started it, looked a lot more comfortable in this game and was happy to push right up to help the Reds get the ball back in dangerous areas.
Virgil van Dijk - 9
Got the equaliser and dominated at the back. Back to his best and long may it continue for the Reds. A Man of the Match performance.
Gini Wijnaldum - 7
Played in the deepest role of a changed midfield trio. Kept possession well against his former club. Hopefully, his contract issues will be resolved soon.
Naby Keita - 8
Carried the ball forwards at every opportunity, always demanding possession. Finished an impressive resumption with another very good performance.
James Milner - 7
Solid performance after a short enforced break. Won the ball back well and kept pushing forwards.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - 7
Made the goal to get Liverpool level brilliantly but struggled either side of that moment and was taken off on the hour mark.
Takumi Minamino - 6
Much needed game time, filled with some clever touches and turns. Unlucky not to score from range with a decent strike.
Divock Origi - 7
A difficult afternoon for the Belgian cult hero. He was about to be replaced when he produced the goods to fire Liverpool ahead with an excellent strike.
Sadio Mane (Sub) - 8
Capped his superb season with a stunning solo goal and looked hungry for more in his 30-minute cameo.
Roberto Firmino (Sub) - 7
Showed his worth with some genius touches and passes. Almost pulled off one outrageous assist for Keita.
Mo Salah - 6
Should have had a hat-trick inside 10 minutes after coming on. Hit the post but was generally wasteful and his touch, uncharacteristically, let him down on a few occasions.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Sub) - 6
Only made a late cameo off the bench.
Curtis Jones (Sub) - 6
Similarly to Trent, did not get much time, however, he did twist and turn his way out of one tricky situation. Expect to see much more of him next season.