There was a guard of honour at the end. James Milner was the first to emerge, holding the Carabao Cup, as the players formed a tunnel. Walking through it, carrying the FA Cup, was the departing Divock Origi. Maybe, in its cruel way, it was appropriate that injury denied him an Anfield farewell on the pitch before the final whistle. He was the master of the unlikely and, albeit in improbable fashion, the predictable happened. Manchester City won against Aston Villa. Liverpool finished second.
It has long felt their fate. Some anointed City champions in January. Not Liverpool. They had closed a gap, from 14 points, occasionally drawing ahead due to the vagaries of the fixture list, but they had always been the outsiders. It can suit their mentality. Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel had declared, is the “master of being the underdog” but, in one competition anyway, Liverpool have been.
