They say the league table never lies. At the very least, it is occasionally guilty of being economical with the truth.
Future generations will consider the final placings in this most extraordinary of Premier League seasons, see Liverpool in third and wonder what all the fuss was about in the Champions League scrap. They must delve deep to uncover the real story.
One only had to see Jurgen Klopp’s reaction when Sadio Mane doubled his side’s lead over Crystal Palace, effectively securing Liverpool’s place, and it was like eight months of pent-up emotion poured out of him.
“It seemed impossible,” Klopp said of the pursuit of Champions League football. He had never given up, but for a while he had sounded on the cusp of doing so.
Lest we forget, this was a Liverpool side condemned for being “bad champions” three months ago; a Liverpool side who suffered an unprecedented six consecutive home defeats mid-season, and a side who had gone into lockdown a year ago as the world club champions, but looked like they might re-emerge outside all European competitions.
The reasons for that were plentiful, and it may be deemed it was as much about others’ flaws that Liverpool somehow recovered to assume a more natural position under Klopp’s leadership.
But it says more about the German’s management and character, navigating his club through treacherous terrain despite the loss of at least two of his captains, in Jordan Henderson (half the season) and Virgil van Dijk (almost all of it). That is before we list countless other occasions when Klopp had more than seven first-team regulars in rehab, and a few others – including himself – dealing with the loss of relatives.
Many will argue if this can truly be considered one of Klopp’s greatest managerial achievements. He has the right to decide that.
This will certainly be celebrated on Merseyside and in Boston as Klopp’s great escape, their run of eight wins in their final 10 games reeling in Leicester City and Chelsea and avoiding the ignominy of European “relegation”.
Yes, many will see the irony of Liverpool finding salvation by qualifying for a competition their owners tried to disband a few months ago, but that was never the manager, nor the players and fans.
Liverpool needed this for their status as much as finances. They needed it for clout, the suspicion being they were playing down the likelihood of long-term targets ignoring overtures had they fallen off the elite stage they had worked so tirelessly for five years to climb aboard.
When they return to this venue in August, hopefully with an additional 45,000 voices, it may feel like business as usual as they begin the process of catching Manchester City. The past four weeks have felt like the start of that arduous journey. If that proves the case, there is no question Klopp will stress the importance of this sequence of games.
There were hints of the old Liverpool throughout what proved a comfortable win, scuppering any thoughts Roy Hodgson may have had of wrecking Klopp’s late run into the top four.
Thiago Alcantara has been stealthily improving in the past few weeks, but this was another level of excellence as the game was played at his tempo.
He and Roberto Firmino evidently come alive when they see a crowd. As Thiago choreographed the 10,000 fans and they heartily responded, it occasionally put one in mind of Freddie Mercury at Live Aid.
This served as an appetiser for what the Spanish international midfielder might do next season with Henderson alongside him, and Van Dijk making the defence look impregnable again.
Watching on, the injured Dutchman will be the first to acknowledge how Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams came of age in his absence. They both ended the first half here with battle scars that somehow seemed appropriate – like trophies – Phillips bandaged and Williams stitched after suffering head wounds.
Whether the duo play another 100 games or a mere 100 more minutes for this club, their recent contribution will be regarded as heroic by their coach.
Every side has created chances against Liverpool’s reconstructed backline, and Palace were no exception. Andros Townsend should have opened the scoring after 14 minutes, pouncing on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s wayward pass to go one-on-one with Alisson. Townsend dragged his shot wide.
But once settled, Liverpool should have scored plenty. They would settle for two from Mane, both scrappy. Andy Robertson’s corner was diverted into Mane’s path by a combination of Williams and Firmino on 36 minutes, and the Senegal striker’s deflected shot ensured a nerveless finale.
There were some emotional goodbyes before the end, Gini Wijnaldum granted a guard of honour while Hodgson received generous applause in a stadium which will never bring him the happiest memories.
A month ago, Liverpool thought they would be waving farewell to Champions League football, too. From what looked like being the rubble of Liverpool’s Premier League defence, Klopp has somehow managed to carve out a gem of a finale.
Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]