Sadio Mane reminds fans of his quality as Liverpool seal Champions League place

No side in the Premier League has picked up more points than Liverpool in the last four weeks of the season. In fact, no team has put on better performances than them in the English top-flight in that period.

Liverpool started the month of May in fifth place, with very little chance of qualifying for next season's Champions League.

However, five consecutive wins later, the Reds have not only secured qualification to Europe’s most prestigious club competition, but they also finished third in the Premier League.

Jurgen Klopp’s side recorded a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday to end their season on a high, thanks to a double from Sadio Mane.

Sadio Mane runs the show against Crystal Palace

It’s been a tough campaign for Liverpool and some players have struggled to hit their best form. Sadio Mane, in particular, has struggled to recreate his performances from last season.

The Senegal international recently described the 2020-21 season as the worst in his career, but he reminded everyone of his quality on Sunday. He may not have been consistent throughout the season but he played a key role in Liverpool qualifying for the Champions League.

Aside from his double against Crystal Palace, Mane also contributed two goals in the Reds’ previous two matches against West Bromwich Albion and Burnley. The winger ends the season with 16 goals and nine assists, which is not a bad return for a player who claims to have endured the worst season of his career.

Liverpool seal Champions League qualification on final day of the season

Klopp could not hide his elation after Liverpool booked a place in next season's Champions League. The Reds were poor in their defense of the Premier League title this year.

They also ended the season without any silverware. However, finishing in the top four can be considered a huge success given their position in the table two months ago.

"It's big ‘to qualify for the Champions League, come on. If someone would have told me a few weeks ago we would finish third… it was absolutely out of reach, impossible,” manager Jurgen Klopp told Sky Sports.

"The good thing about this year is that we didn't feel too good very often because many things around us happened. Injuries were a subject that followed us through the whole year, that was hard to take. But from nowhere to the Champions League in five weeks, that's a massive achievement, I couldn't be happier," added Klopp.

It would have been a disaster for Liverpool to miss out on Champions League qualification, but finishing third will give the Reds the perfect platform to build on ahead of next season.