Day of drama to end them all — and we can’t allow it to be stolen from us again

Highs and lows of the final day show why owners must not be allowed to ruin our league

THERE was standing room only on the train to London Marylebone last Saturday as it carried fans from two of England’s great football tribes towards the FA Cup final. Liverpool supporters, in particular, were in fine voice as the train rolled through the enemy territory of the Home Counties, absorbing more and more Chelsea fans at wellappointed stations at Beaconsfield and Gerrards Cross.

Now and again, the strains of Liverpool’s favourite song of the moment, the homage to Jurgen Klopp, that is sung to the tune of I Feel Fine by the Beatles, filled the carriages. ‘I’m so glad that Jurgen is a Red,’ they sang. ‘I’m so glad he delivered what he said. Jurgen said to me, you know. We’ll win the Premier League, you know. He said so. I’m in love with him and I feel fine.’

Klopp and his team delivered that Saturday by the finest of margins to add a second trophy to their epic quest for the Quadruple, a feat that has never been achieved by an English side. That quest has come to dominate the narrative at the climax of this thrilling season and today, the last day of the Premier League struggle, it faces its most formidable obstacle.

On this day of days, a day when the joy of the competitiveness of our top flight reaches a magnificent climax and the battle for the title, the final Champions League place, the final European place and the escape from relegation will all be alive at kick-off, Liverpool know they have to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield to have a chance of winning the league. But they also know the destiny of the title is not in their hands. Because if Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, the team who have fought toe-totoe with Liverpool all season, overcome Aston Villa at the Etihad, then they will retain the Premier League trophy, win the title for the fourth time in five years and underline their claim to be considered the first great English dynasty to follow Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United.

The fact Villa are managed by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard adds another delicious twist to what is certain to be a day of drama and tension, elation and

despair, as each team play out their struggles to the bitter end. Eight of the 10 fixtures are freighted with significance. Only the last day of the 1995-96 season had more riding on it. City’s battle with Liverpool will take pride of place, as it should. This has been an unforgiving battle between two magnificent sides and however often Guardiola may suggest there is a national bias towards Liverpool, and however often it is mentioned that Saudi Arabia’s purchase of Newcastle has thrown fresh scrutiny over Abu Dhabi’s control of City, few could deny that Guardiola’s side are a dream to watch.

Liverpool have the Footballer of the Year, Mo Salah, in their ranks. City have the Premier League Player of the Year, Kevin De Bruyne, and the newly crowned Young Player of the Season, Phil Foden, decorating their team. Multiple players, on both sides, could have won either honour. It is a measure of their respective merits, the beauty that both teams bring to the field, that the battle between them should go down to the last day. Guardiola said he always knew that it would.

Just over 10 years on from what many consider the greatest final day of all, City fans are hoping they can win without quite the same