The Reds concluded their Premier League 2025-2026 journey on Sunday at Anfield, needing just a single point to guarantee a top-five finish. Curtis Jones’ goal shortly before the hour mark, which was later cancelled out by Kevin Schade, ultimately secured the crucial fifth position after an emotionally charged day. The occasion was notably marked by Robertson and Salah making their final appearances, concluding their illustrious careers at Liverpool.

On the match and securing Champions League football…

“Once again, we didn’t quite get the result we merited, which has been a consistent theme throughout this season. We deserved to win, though, in the 100th minute, we could have even lost it. We’ve witnessed this so many times this campaign – we create chances to score the winning goal, and then in the tenth minute of added time, they get a serious opportunity, a header. This time, it didn’t go in, but so often this season it has.”

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

Reflecting on the entire season…

“We came into today aiming for the absolute minimum requirement, which was to qualify for the Champions League. As you can see from the league standings, major clubs sometimes fail to secure Champions League or even European qualification. In recent seasons, some big clubs in this league haven’t made it to Europe. 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 for their efforts this season, because it has been an incredibly challenging campaign for us, enduring everything we’ve had to go through, particularly with all the injuries. If ultimately, our fifth-place finish and Champions League qualification represent the minimum for us, and we faced the FA Cup winners after losing an away game to Manchester City – which many teams do – and lost 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 in the Club World Cup, and perhaps Arsenal in a final, but over two matches, no team has achieved it. So, while it wasn’t what I envisioned for us to achieve at the start of the season, considering all the adversities we faced, I am content today that we have secured our Champions League spot.”

On the supporters’ reception for Robertson and Salah…

“It was magnificent, as always, exactly what you expect from our incredible fans. They absolutely gave them the send-off they deserved. These are two legends who have lifted nine trophies over the past nine years. So, yes, for them, it must have been a truly special day, likely a difficult one too, but certainly memorable, and the fans made it extraordinary for them. I believe I’ve stated many times that this club understands how to celebrate a league title, how to navigate tragedies, and this club certainly knows how to honor these two exceptional players.”

On what could have been done differently throughout the season…

“Oh yes, many things. I, we, haven’t been perfect, but I would have responded to that question in precisely the same way in the year we won the championship, 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 underpinned by a single principle: to be thoroughly prepared. So, none of my decisions were ever made with the thought, ‘Oh, I don’t have time, let’s just make a quick decision like this.’”

“No, I gave them careful consideration, and as you know, not all decisions can turn out to be the right ones. It would be foolish of me to sit here and claim that every decision I made was correct. But before I made them, I always felt they were the right course of action. However, most of the time, I didn’t even have the luxury of making many decisions or choices because this particular match was perhaps the first time this season that we didn’t have any Academy players on our bench, and that was a true exception. So, if you were to ask me for one word to encapsulate this season, I would describe it as ‘injuries’.”