Thiago Alcantara sent jaws dropping all round Anfield on Sunday with an assist right out of the top drawer.
The midfield maestro has been in superb form over the back half of the campaign and has ran the show in several fixtures in the title run-in. And he produced a real moment of magic in Liverpool's final Premier League match of the season at home to Wolves as they chased rivals Manchester City for the title.
Wolves had taken an early surprise lead when Ibrahima Konate's mistake allowed Wolves' Raul Jimenez to get in behind before he squared across the box for team-mate Pedro Neto to finish past Alisson after just three minutes. Liverpool needed to better Man City's result to stand any chance of claiming their 20th league championship but found themselves with a mountain to climb.
Fortunately for Jurgen Klopp's men, it didn't take them too long to get back level, thanks in large part to Thiago's sublime trickery. Receiving a pass with his back to goal inside Wolves' half, Thiago pulled off an incredible back heel which released Sadio Mane in behind Wolves' back line as he beat the offside trap.
Mane quickly raced away as Wolves' captain Conor Coady, but made his chance count as he slotted inside Jose Sa's near post to pull his side level after 24 minutes. Thiago celebrated by pumping his fist emphatically towards the Kop End in a bid to rouse the Liverpool supporters. They didn't need much encouragement soon after when the title race took a huge turn.
Aston Villa - managed by Anfield legend Steven Gerrard - took the lead against City at the Etihad just 13 minutes after Mane had levelled for Liverpool, with Matty Cash diverting a header home to throw the title race into jeopardy. A huge chorus of cheers whipped Anfield into a frenzy as Reds fans urged their team on to grab another goal to overtake City and put themselves in the driving seat, though were handed a warning when Alisson was called into action to deny Hwang Hee-chan.
Thiago was then substituted at half-time due to injury to be replaced by James Milner as Liverpool went in search of a winner.
Liverpool pushed City all the way in the title race back in 2018/19 only to lose out by a point on the final day. Their disappointment was soon dispelled when they claimed the Champions League shortly after, and bounced back to win the Premier League in astonishing fashion the following season - albeit without the presence of the Liverpool fans due to Covid-19.
A similar situation has played out this season, though Liverpool are now chasing an historic year, having already landed the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, with a Champions League final still to come. Jurgen Klopp insisted ahead of kick-off on the Premier League finale that his team would not give up hope in the title race as pressure piled on City, who slipped up in their penultimate fixture against West Ham - a match that could have sealed them the title had Riyad Mahrez not missed his penalty with five minute remaining.
But City managed to hold their nerve despite falling two behind to Villa, scoring three times in the second half to clinch the title after goals from Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson had sealed Liverpool's win.
