A 3-goal lead!
Nothing could stop the people of Liverpool from winning the title now!
The Wolves manager saw this, turned around, and walked back to the bench to sit down.
What was the point of playing anymore!
The players on the pitch, seeing this, couldn't be said to have lost all fighting spirit, but they certainly weren't going to go all-out against Liverpool.
After all, their league position was already set. If it weren't for their own manager wanting to annoy the Liverpool fans before the match, they would have likely just given up on this game.
But Liverpool didn't.
After scoring, they quickly began to defend, determined to maintain their lead until the very end of the match.
In the 59th minute, with Liverpool dropping back, Wolves got a few attacking opportunities. After beating two players, Jota crossed the ball into the penalty area from near the byline. Jiménez was about to head for goal, but Van Dijk had already positioned himself to block him.
In the original world, Van Dijk was the runner-up for the Ballon d'Or this season. As a defender, he almost became the third player to win the award as a defender! Although the Ballon d'Or is not exclusively for forwards, it is notoriously biased towards them. Since its inception, forwards have won the award 29 times, midfielders 9 times, and defenders only 3 times. The Ballon d'Or has never been fair. For Van Dijk to be ranked second shows just how dominant he was in his prime.
After a brilliant defensive play from Liverpool, a swift counter-attack was sure to follow. Arnold's long pass from the back found Tendou, who then advanced ten meters through the middle before playing a diagonal pass to Salah. The Egyptian Pharaoh beat two players on the wing and cut inside to shoot, but his shot was saved by the goalkeeper and went out for a corner.
Liverpool had a corner kick opportunity. Arnold took the corner, and Tendou was double-teamed, so he played the ball to the back post for Mané. Mané won the first ball and followed up with a sliding shot that was blocked. It was unclear who blocked it, as the Wolves penalty area was now packed with players. All that was known was that after the ball was blocked, it ricocheted off someone and landed in the Wolves' small penalty area.
Then, a long leg suddenly swung out, and the ball flew into the Wolves' goal for the fourth time.
It all happened so fast that the fans' eyes couldn't keep up. But a moment later, they saw Tendou emerge from the crowd in the chaotic penalty area and run towards the corner flag.
A front flip, landing with open arms, a bow of respect!
Only then did the fans realize who had scored the goal.
The replay quickly showed the goal-scoring process. Mané's shot was blocked by Boly, and the rebound hit the onrushing Van Dijk. Van Dijk couldn't react in time, and the ball bounced off his chest into the Wolves' small penalty area. Almost simultaneously, as if he had foreseen where the ball would land, Tendou darted forward and, without taking a touch, scored with a follow-up shot, completing his hat-trick.
"It's a goal!"
"A hat-trick!"
"There's no doubt now!"
"People of Liverpool, cheer!"
"After 30 years, we will once again welcome the English top-flight league championship!"
"At the same time, this will be Liverpool's first-ever Premier League title since the league was rebranded!"
"Let us remember this important day, and this 18-year-old genius player!"
"TJ!"
"He completed a hat-trick in this match, and also has an assist, a one-man show!"
The referee blew the whistle. The stands of Anfield were filled with Liverpool fans who had gone completely wild. There was no other sound this night.
The camera panned to the square outside Anfield. Under the night sky, tens of thousands of excited fans were celebrating wildly, jumping up and down like fleas.
There would be no miracles!
Liverpool's title win was now unstoppable.
But the match on the pitch was still ongoing.
The Wolves team, seeing no hope, was still attacking, but their attacks were disorganized and ineffective. Ineffective wing play, inaccurate long balls. None of it posed any real threat to Liverpool's rock-solid defense.
In the 78th minute, Jota took a speculative shot from 29 meters out. Alisson calmly collected the ball, got up, and, holding the ball, shouted at his teammates to defend well, getting himself some screen time and presence.
Five minutes later, Jiménez tried to break through on the right with a solo run but was double-teamed by Robertson and Henderson. He managed to get a pass off under pressure, but it was intercepted by Liverpool.
By the 87th minute, the Wolves players were barely attacking anymore. The two teams weren't even going through the motions of an attack-versus-defense drill; they were just passing the ball around, waiting for the final whistle.
Anfield had turned into a sea of joy.
When the 90-minute mark was reached, the referee didn't even give any symbolic injury time. The moment the time was up, he blew the final whistle.
"Beep!"
"Beep!"
"Beep!"
Two short whistles and one long one. The match was over.
The 27th season of the Premier League had officially come to a close. Liverpool had defeated the visiting Wolves 4-0 at home to secure their final 3 points of the season.
At the same time, it was these 3 points that made Liverpool the second team in Premier League history to break the 100-point barrier.
"...We really won the title, Dad!"
In the North Stand, a father carrying his 7-year-old child on his back couldn't hold back his tears. His eyes were already moist.
His family were all Liverpool fans. Generations of them had sung "You'll Never Walk Alone" at Anfield. But ever since he became a Liverpool fan, the club had never won a Premier League title.
Unconsciously, 30 years had passed. He had gone from a little kid to a father himself. Back then, he had also leaned on his own father's back like this. But his father hadn't lived to see this day, passing away a week before he was born.
But it was okay!
He and his child had waited, and they had seen it!
"Yes, we won the title. The 30-year championship drought is broken!"
"The match is over!"
"4-0!"
"Liverpool have defeated Wolves!"
"In the final round of the Premier League, Liverpool have once again secured 3 points, and at the same time, have pushed their total points past the three-digit mark!"
"Liverpool have become the second team in a single Premier League season to break 100 points!"
"We won!"
"The 27th Premier League title belongs to Liverpool!"
"Liverpool!"
"Are the champions!"
Anfield went completely insane. Countless security personnel tried their best to hold back the fans, but their lines were easily broken. The fans rushed onto the pitch like madmen.
Thirty long years of waiting!
All their emotions were released at this moment, the moment the championship belonged to Liverpool!
Seeing this, the Wolves players, who were originally a little dejected, were all scared and ran into the players' tunnel.
Tendou, seeing that things were about to get out of hand, also prepared to make a run for it. But the fans were all focused on him, the main character, and gave him no chance to escape!
He was soon "caressed" by the Liverpool fans, his jersey being torn to shreds...