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Liverpool looking for another miracle

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STEADY Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has been solid in the heart of his club’s engine room in their quest for the Premier League title
STEADY Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has been solid in the heart of his club’s engine room in their quest for the Premier League title

If Liverpool want to win a Premier League title today, they probably need a miracle. But then, miracles are quite common in English football these days.

Liverpool created the first on Tuesday when they overcame a 3-0 first-leg Champions League defeat against no less a club than Barcelona to advance to the final 4-3 on aggregate.

A day later, it was Tottenham Hotspur who gave English football fans Miracle Two as they came back in their Champions League semifinal having lost to Ajax Amsterdam at home 1-0.

In the return leg on Wednesday, they were 2-0 down at half-time in Amsterdam, but then turned things around as they advanced to the championship decider with a last-gasp 3-2 victory.

That leaves Liverpool fans waiting for Miracle Three.

With one game to go in the league, Liverpool are one point behind Manchester City and need the Citizens to drop points in their match at Brighton.

Liverpool, meanwhile, are at home to Wolves and need to win to stand a realistic chance of making the unrealistic happen.

Jürgen Klopp will be buoyed by the fact that he can – probably – again call on Egyptian marksman Mohamed Salah, who missed the return leg against Barcelona due to injury.

But his players are certainly not taking the match lightly, with Virgil van Dijk warning his team-mates not to be complacent: “They’ve [Wolves] been outstanding – one of the revelations this season – with a fantastic manager. We have to be ready for a big fight.

“We’ll try to get the three points and we hope to do just that, but if City do it, then congratulations to them because they have been outstanding as well.”

Liverpool can expect no favours from a Wolves side who have enjoyed an excellent season, with Irish international Matt Doherty saying they are going to Liverpool for a result.

“We have one more game to go, and we have to respect what’s happening at the top of the league and prepare properly. We’re going to Liverpool to try to win.”

Ironically, any favour they do Manchester City, the Citizens can repay a week later in the FA Cup final, as a defeat for Watford against City would see Wolves qualify for the Europa League.

“Some of the lads have played in Europe, but a lot of us haven’t, so it would be a new experience and we’re all trying to get better, and playing in European competitions just shows where the club could be,” Duffy said.

Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva is confident that the trophy will be travelling back to Manchester with them for the second year in a row.

“[It’s a] difficult game away; we played against them in the FA Cup semifinal. They’re a physical team, so we’re not expecting an easy game, but we know we need to get the three points to win this title,” he said.

“The atmosphere in the dressing room is just fantastic. All the players, the staff, the fans – the way they pushed us this season is unbelievable. We want to win these last two games to celebrate some titles with them.”

Behind City and Liverpool, the permutations are pretty clear. Chelsea and Spurs will be in the Champions League and could be joined by Arsenal if the Gunners win the Europa League final.

Chelsea, who needed a penalty shoot-out victory against Eintracht Frankfurt to go through to the Europa League final, are away to Leicester, while Spurs face Everton.

Arsenal, who travel to Burnley, could theoretically, still overtake Spurs, but would need not only to win and have Arsenal lose, but there also needs to be an eight-goal swing.

And at the wrong end of the table, everything has been decided as well, with Huddersfield, Fulham and Cardiff having been relegated.

That leaves everybody looking towards the race for the title and the possibility of another footballing miracle.

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