The Reds concluded their 2025-2026 Premier League journey at Anfield on Sunday, needing just a single point to guarantee a top-five finish. Curtis Jones’ goal, which was later cancelled out by Kevin Schade, ultimately secured fifth place after an emotionally charged day that saw Robertson and Salah make their final appearances in their illustrious Liverpool careers.

on securing champions league football

“Once again, we didn’t quite get the result we deserved, which has been a recurring theme this season. We certainly merited a victory, although in the 100th minute, we could have even lost it. We’ve witnessed this so many times throughout the campaign – chances to score the winning goal, only for the opposition to have a significant opportunity in injury time, like that header. This time, it didn’t go in, but it often has this season.

“So, I believe it was another match that mirrored many others we’ve played. I think it took them perhaps 40 minutes to even enter our penalty area for the first time. I might be slightly exaggerating, but we completely dominated the first half. Yet, from a simple throw-in, they created their first real chance. And yes, conceding from set-pieces is another aspect we’ve discussed extensively this season.”

on the season’s overall performance

“We came here today with a clear minimum objective: to qualify for the Champions League. As you can see from the league table, even major clubs sometimes fail to secure a spot in the Champions League or even European competitions. Big clubs have missed out on Europe in recent Premier League seasons. Therefore, we can never take this for granted, but it’s clear and obvious that we aspired for more.

“However, I am genuinely proud of the players and what they’ve accomplished this season, because it has been a very, very, very challenging campaign for us, with everything we’ve had to navigate, especially all these injuries. I can recall every single obstacle we faced.

“Ultimately, if our minimum is Champions League qualification, finishing fifth, and facing the FA Cup winners after losing an away game against Manchester City – something many teams do. Losing to Paris Saint-Germain for the second consecutive year, with no team managing to beat them over two legs in the last two years. In a single match, Chelsea did so in the Club World Cup, and perhaps Arsenal in a final, but over two legs, no team has achieved it. So yes, it’s not what I would have wished for us to achieve this season before it began, but considering everything that happened to us, I am content today that we have secured our place in the Champions League.”

on the fans’ farewell to robertson and salah

“It was magnificent, as it always is, and exactly what you expect from our supporters. They absolutely received the send-off they deserved. Two true legends who have lifted nine trophies over the past nine years. So, yes, for them, it must have been a special day, probably a difficult one too, but certainly a memorable occasion, and the fans made it incredibly special for them as well. I believe I’ve said it many times: this club understands how to celebrate a league title, this club understands how to handle tragedies, and this club certainly knows how to honour these two exceptional players.”

on potential season changes

“Oh yes, many things. I, and we, were not perfect, but I would have answered that question in precisely the same way in the year we won the league because, as a manager, you can never be perfect, and a player can never be perfect. However, every decision I made throughout the season was based on one principle: to be thoroughly prepared. So, no decision I made was ever taken with the thought, ‘Oh, I don’t have time, let’s just make a quick decision like this.’

“No, I gave it careful thought, and as you know, not every decision can be the correct one. So, it would be foolish for me to sit here and claim that all my decisions were right. But before I made them, I always felt they were the right choices to make. Most of the time, I didn’t even have the luxury of making many decisions or choices because this match was perhaps the first time this season that we didn’t have a single Academy player on our bench, which has been an anomaly. So, if you asked me for one word to describe this season, I would describe it as ‘injury’.”