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Liverpool: Champions League final defeat ends sublime season
Liverpool's double is not something to be depreciated.
It loses a little shine when it doesn't include a league title win or a Champions League success, but Liverpool's season was still a memorable one: two goals separated them from an historic feat.
Jürgen Klopp's 2021/22 side should still be celebrated, pushing Manchester City all the way domestically and just falling short in the Champions League, coming so close to making history with a 3000/1 quadruple.
The fact that Liverpool were in with a chance of winning each competition until the very last game this term is, in itself, astounding.
The Reds have played 63 matches during an arduous campaign, losing just four.
Having the League Cup literally in hand before the run-in undoubtedly boosts the confidence, but the thought of winning another three trophies must be a fanciful one in February, with plenty of Champions League and FA Cup knockout rounds to come, not to mention a cramped Premier League end of season schedule.
Indeed, Liverpool had to be at their best to oust City from the FA Cup and close a big gap in the league to the would-be champions.
Their FA Cup success came under the same circumstances as their League Cup victory, beating Chelsea on penalties after a 0-0 draw through extra time. Lotteries? Yes. Did that matter? No.
LIVERPOOL WIN THE FA CUP!!!
— Sporting Life Football & Infogol (@InfogolApp) May 14, 2022
Two down, two to go...
The Infogol model gives them a 3.1% chance of winning both the Champions League and the Premier League 👇 pic.twitter.com/xu64ysa6SB
At that time, it was still highly unlikely that Liverpool could win the Premier League (4.9%). The numbers proved to be correct, but it took a crazy final-day comeback from City to hold the Reds off, who finished on 92 points for the season.
Although they ended as runners-up, Liverpool's efforts should not be forgotten, perhaps the highest quality title fight we've ever seen in the Premier League.
Jurgen Klopp's side averaged 2.52 expected goals for (xGF) per game to stay in the race until the final moments, a figure second only to City's 2019/20 level since Infogol began collating data.
Immediate disappointment after a 3-1 win against Wolves quickly shifted to focus on the Champions League.
In the midst of all the above, Liverpool had given themselves a chance to end the season in the final of the pinnacle of European club football.
While Real Madrid's route was filled with drama, Liverpool's path was rather serene. They won every group game, dispatched of Inter Milan and Benfica with relative ease in the round of 16 and quarter final respectively.
A scare in the semi-final second leg at Villarreal was swiftly rectified, giving them the chance to become the best team in Europe.
They squandered that chance in Paris on Saturday night. Liverpool's mentality monsters lost to the comeback kings of Real Madrid in the Champions League final.
Liverpool's defeat caps off an ultimately disappointing season, but it was one for the ages, despite the absence of a domestic league title and UCL glory.
In playing the absolute maximum number of fixtures and losing only four, the Reds lifted the two trophies of smaller value.
Still, a 3000/1 shot became a real possibility. What a memorable campaign.