Liverpool have won the Premier League less than one year after Jurgen Klopp bowed out, almost nine years of leadership, leading the larger-than-life German to intimate his decision to call it a day.
He built Anfield back up from the disrepair it had slumped into. Klopp’s Liverpool wasn’t built in a day but it will stand strong for many years to come, with Arne Slot proving that by taking the blueprint and winning the Premier League in his first season at the helm.
The Dutch tactician is a genius, but he’s dovetailed into Klopp’s hothouse and has taken this special team to another level, Liverpool now crowned top-flight champions for a record-equalling 20th time, perching alongside Manchester United.
One of Klopp’s final and most significant hurrahs was the success in repackaging a flagging midfield and turning it back into a robust machine.
They’ve all played important roles, but who can say that Alexis Mac Allister hasn’t been the pick of the bunch? He was the centrepiece as Tottenham Hotspur were defeated on Sunday evening, for sure.
Alexis Mac Allister's performance vs Spurs
Dominic Solanke powered a header past Alisson after just 12 minutes, silencing Anfield’s raucous atmosphere and threatening to spoil the party.
But Liverpool returned like a tidal wave, scoring three goals before the break and two more after the hour mark. Mac Allister’s was the pick of the bunch, thundering home to restore his team’s lead after Luis Diaz had restored parity eight minutes earlier.
The Argentine put in a performance for the ages, underscored his trophy-winning credentials and status as one of the finest midfielders in the world.
Player ratings courtesy of Sofascore
Blending combativeness with a cultured foot, Spurs simply didn’t have the answer and were overwhelmed in the centre, something which proved fatal as Mohamed Salah and co were then able to swarm and pick at the shaky backline.
Minutes played
83′
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots (on target)
3 (2)
Accurate passes
35/40 (88%)
Key passes
2
Tackles + interceptions
7
Clearances
1
Duels won
7/11
The former Brighton man has earned his flowers, no doubt about that. However, he wasn’t the only one to produce the goods when Liverpool needed it, with Cody Gakpo’s display confirming, were it not known already, that he is undroppable over on the left flank.
Cody Gakpo is now undroppable after title win
Gakpo has been frustrated by injury over the past few months, but he’s come on leaps and bounds under the wing of Slot this season and effectively sealed the title-winning victory over Tottenham when making it 3-1 before half-time.
Chalkboard
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BBC Sport’s Pat Nevin hailed Gakpo for his “twinkle toes,” collecting from the corner and moving into a pocket with fleet feet, capitalising on some shoddy defending before unleashing a pinpoint finish to Guglielmo Vicario’s right.
The 25-year-old’s cool finish was emblematic of his campaign, an icy figure down the left flank whose goalscoring knack and industrious approach to his football suggests he has nailed down the berth and should not be moved.
There’s a case to be made that Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez should both be sold this summer, with Diaz working so seamlessly as a roving focal frontman.
It allows Salah to maximise his output and it has paid dividends for Gakpo, whose positional readjustment this season, almost exclusively playing off the left, having been dotted all about last year, has seen him clinch 17 goals and six assists in all competitions this season.
The Dutchman isn’t just a poacher either. His goals come in various forms, and he gets stuck in defensively too, having won six of his eight duels against Tottenham while chipping in with two tackles and two interceptions apiece, as per Sofascore. As a result, he was awarded with an 8/10 match rating by the Liverpool Echo.
Plenty has been made of Liverpool’s projected transfer plans, and while fans would like a new wideman to enrich these formidable ranks, Gakpo, a Premier League champion, has proved that he’s a fixed feature in Slot’s starting line-up.
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