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Liverpool concluded their injury-ridden 2020-21 Premier League campaign with a comfortable 2-0 win over Crystal Palace. A Sadio Mane brace at Anfield ensured a third-place finish and Champions League football next season for the deposed champions.
Liverpool looked in command and did not afford any goalscoring chances to Crystal Palace after a few early blushes, with Andros Townsend sending an effort narrowly off target.
Mane scored a goal in either half to ensure Liverpool finished in the top three, as both Chelsea and Leicester City dropped points on the final day of the season. Mohamed Salah, though, could not add to his tally of 22 goals to finish second to Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane in the Golden Boot race.
On that note, let's take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#1 Liverpool control proceedings with their high press
Liverpool were expected to dominate proceedings against the visitors. While Crystal Palace fared better than they did in their 0-7 drubbing to the Reds in December, the visitors gave away possession far too cheaply on the night.
Liverpool impressed with their high press as Crystal Palace struggled to keep the ball. That was especially apparent on the flanks, where the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Trent Alexander-Arnold used their pace and quick feet to dispossess the visitors.
Palace could only complete 60% of their passes on the night, as they were clearly the second-best all game.
#2 Sadio Mane records a double-digit goal tally for the seventh consecutive Premier League season
Sadio Mane might not have enjoyed a prolific season in front of goal but was on target against Crystal Palace to give Liverpool a well-deserved lead in the 36th minute. He was in the right place at the right time to poke in a loose ball past the Crystal Palace custodian following a routine corner.
It was the Senegalese forward's tenth league goal of the season. He scored another on the night to finish with 11 for the campaign. Mane has now netted at least ten league goals in each of his last seven Premier League campaigns - five for Liverpool and two for Southampton .
He bagged his second of the night in the 74th minute, though his left-footed strike was helped by a massive deflection. Though Mane had a rather quiet campaign, his brace ensured Champions League qualification for Liverpool.
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#3 Liverpool end an injury-plagued league campaign with a clean sheet
Liverpool recorded their second consecutive clean sheet to end their 2020-21 Premier League campaign.
The Reds were without first-choice centre-backs - Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez - for almost three-quarters of the campaign, which impacted the team's performances. Nevertheless, Liverpool recorded the 12th clean sheet of their league campaign on the night.
Liverpool improved defensively in recent games, keeping three clean sheets in their last five Premier League outings.
#4 Mohamed Salah picks up an assist but misses out on the Golden Boot award
Mohamed Salah had a decent outing against Crystal Palace. Though he could not get himself on the scoresheet, he provided the assist for Sadio Mane's second of the night.
The Egyptian winger was tied with Harry Kane on 22 goals in the 2020-21 Golden Boot race, going into the last day of the season. But despite six attempts on goal, Salah failed to find the back of the net against Crystal Palace. Kane, meanwhile, scored in Spurs' 4-2 win over Leicester City and take the award for the third time.
#5 Liverpool secure Champions League qualification on dramatic final day
Liverpool needed a win against Crystal Palace to finish in the top four, but they also needed one of Chelsea and Leicester City to drop points on the last day of the season.
While the Reds completed their end of the bargain by beating Palace 2-0, results elsewhere meant Jurgen Klopp's men ended third in the league table. That's because ten-man Chelsea lost 1-2 against Aston Villa to finish fourth, while Leicester City squandered a lead at home to lose 2-4 to Tottenham Hotspur.
Liverpool struggled with injuries to key players and looked like missing out on Champions League football midway through the season.
But with a place in the Champions League at stake, Jurgen Klopp's men embarked on a remarkable ten-game unbeaten run - winning seven and drawing three - to finish third, while their rivals floundered.
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