Liverpool 2-0 Crystal Palace: 5 Talking points as Sadio Mane's brace ensures Champions League football for deposed champions | Premier League 2020-21

#3 Liverpool end an injury-plagued league campaign with a clean sheet

Liverpool vs Crystal Palace - Premier League

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.

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#4 Mohamed Salah picks up an assist but misses out on the Golden Boot award

Mohamed Salah drew a blank against Crystal Palace.

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.

Liverpool have qualified for the #UCL in every season Jürgen Klopp has managed for the club since his first full season:✅ 2016/17✅ 2017/18✅ 2018/19✅ 2019/20✅ 2020/21And it took until the final game of the season to achieve qualification. 😅 pic.twitter.com/RUB0nM8dQu

— William Hill (@WilliamHill) May 23, 2021

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#5 Liverpool secure Champions League qualification on dramatic final day

Liverpool vs Crystal Palace - Premier League

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.

𝐖𝐖𝐖𝐖𝐖𝐃𝐃𝐖𝐖𝐖Our final ten @premierleague games... ❤️The Reds dug deep when we needed it most 😍 pic.twitter.com/2K5ZV3BVix

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 23, 2021

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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