Liverpool's hopes dashed for top spots in Champions League, Premier League

By Emre Asikci

ISTANBUL (AA) - May was a disappointing month for Liverpool as they were held up at the second place in both 2021-22 English Premier League and UEFA Champions League.

Despite winning the English League Cup (Carabao Cup) and English FA Cup (The Emirates FA Cup) in the same season, Liverpool missed out on the Premier League title by just a single point behind Manchester City last month.

Man City and Liverpool were battling for the 2022 Premier League win, but the Sky Blues dramatically clinched their sixth title after a 3-2 comeback victory over Aston Villa on May 22, thanks to Ilkay Gundogan, their German midfielder of Turkish origin.

Substitute Gundogan scored two goals against Aston Villa at Manchester's Etihad Stadium to play an important role for his team's league success.

This season, German manager Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool had to suffice with domestic trophies after the Champions League final against Real Madrid also ended in heartbreak on May 28.

Klopp's men dared to dream of victory at Paris' Stade de France, but Real Madrid brought home the trophy with the help of their forward Vinicius Junior, 1-0.

Brazil's Vinicius Junior, 21, scored the winning goal for Real Madrid in the final.

In the 2021-22 season, Liverpool faced Chelsea to beat the Blues in the both Carabao Cup and the Emirates FA Cup finals on penalties respectively.

Both domestic cups' finals were played at London's Wembley Stadium.

- Liverpool's goal threats: Salah, Mane

Liverpool came second in the league and Champions League but their main pillars, Egyptian star Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane from Senegal, both displayed impressive performances despite the club's busy match schedule.

A Liverpool player since 2017, Salah, 29, scored 31 goals and made 16 assists in 51 matches in the 2021-22 season. Meanwhile Mane tallied 23 goals in 51 appearances.

The 30-year-old has been playing for the Reds since 2016.

In addition, Salah was the Reds' top scorer with eight goals in the 2021-22 Champions League, while Mane and the team's Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino scored five goals each.

Salah and Mane have been the Liverpool regulars for years, and they helped the Reds win the 2020 Premier League that the club waited for 30 years.

Before their epic Premier League triumph, Liverpool including - Salah and Mane - sealed the 2019 UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup titles.

Apart from playing for the English club, Salah and Mane also made appearances in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final and FIFA World Cup playoff for their nations this year.

The 2021 AFCON was played in January-February as it was previously postponed to 2022 for the coronavirus pandemic.

Senegal won their first AFCON title after beating Egypt 4-2 on penalties.