Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp thanks Aston Villa during classy message to Man City

Jurgen Klopp thanked Aston Villa and Wolves for playing their part in a sensational final day of Premier League action, while also paying tribute to Manchester City and Pep Guardiola following their title triumph. The champions had to do it the hard way though after trailing Steven Gerrard’s side 2-0 in the second half at a stunned Etihad Stadium but three goals in a manic five minutes swung the title race back in City’s favour, capping yet another stunning season.

Liverpool’s quadruple dream is now over but the Reds will regroup ahead of next weekend’s Champions League final in Paris, where they will face Real Madrid.

This season’s runners-up seemed just a goal from glory at one point in the second half but the 3-1 victory – courtesy of goals from Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson – was still sadly not enough.

Reflecting on a crazy afternoon, Klopp said: “Congratulations to Man City and Pep Guardiola. Thank you to Aston Villa and Wolverhampton for making a proper game of it.

“It’s not the result we wanted. It was a bit of a rollercoaster. I don’t know the results exactly but I know they were 1-0 up – where they 2-0 up as well? Of course at the moment there’s disappointment here as well.

READ MORE: Premier League Golden Boot: Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min share top goalscorer prize

Klopp confirmed he’s now expected to miss the Champions League final with Fabinho also facing a race against time to make the contest.

He added: “I think he’ll be out of the final but I don’t know. He’s limping, so it’s maybe not the best sign.”

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has expressed his frustration at missing out on the title on the final day of a gruelling 38-game season.

It was a tough afternoon. I think we didn’t play as well as we can,” he said.

“A few things happened during the first half, obviously going a goal behind, which is never easy, but obviously a few nerves at the end.

“But in the end, I thought we came through really well, scored some good goals, kept going and found a way to win, which was pleasing.”

When quizzed on whether he was aware of what was happening at the Etihad while on the pitch, he added: “Not really. The crowd cheering and stuff, yeah, but I didn’t really know what the score was. There were too many cheers from our fans and obviously the Wolves fans as well, so I sort of lost count if you like!

“So, we just tried to focus on what we needed to do and win the game – and we managed to do that. Like I said, we didn’t play particularly well but we got the job done in the end.”

source: express.co.uk