As a result of Man United’s victory over Chelsea, Liverpool was left out of the Champions League.
When Liverpool drew with Aston Villa last weekend, Jurgen Klopp admitted that his team would not be playing in the Champions League. At the same time, Manchester United defeated Bournemouth and earned crucial three points.
Although Erik ten Hag’s team was thought to be a lock for a top-four finish in January, a few poor performances gave Liverpool hope of closing the gap and they were able to gain momentum.
Prior to last weekend, Liverpool was only one point behind, but they could only draw at home with Aston Villa.
In his final press conference of the season, Klopp stated that Casemiro’s well-taken goal against Bournemouth was the moment he realized Liverpool had lost the race, even though it wasn’t yet official.
“It’s a fact we don’t have Champions League, even I knew after [the Aston Villa] game, clear,” Klopp said. “I drew a line underneath it. I am optimistic but in that moment I couldn’t see it.
“We’ve known for a while that it wouldn’t be a historic season. The number of points we’ve accumulated since Dubai following the World Cup was decent. If we could do that all season it would be a good one.
“We did not want this kind of season.” I really think this is not a season we will talk about and we have failed to give the people more to enjoy, but we have given moments. The big disappointment is this little thing [the Europa League], which is obviously a big one.
“It would have been a normal season if we finished fourth. qualified if not great. You must occasionally accept it. I’ve been here for seven and a half years, and during that time, there have occasionally been dips in the progress.
“It’s good I’m here this long but you have to reinvent yourself.”
