Liverpool sealed a top four finish with a comfortable 4-0 win over Brighton.

Mohamed Salah confirmed his place as the Premier League’s Golden Boot winner before Dejan Lovren headed the Reds further ahead before half time.

Jurgen Klopp’s side continued their Champions League final preparations after the break with Dominic Solanke rifling his first ever professional goal.

Andy Robertson also broke his Liverpool duck with a well taken half-volley to give Liverpool a rousing send-off to their Kiev showdown with Real Madrid.

Here were the key talking points from Anfield:

Mission accomplished in first ‘cup final’

 

Liverpool had been here already before but as top four qualification permutations go, this was far easier than last season’s final day.

Anything other than a defeat guaranteed the Reds’ place in next season’s Champions League – irrespective of their fate in Kiev on May 26.

Both Jurgen Klopp and Jordan Henderson had described Brighton’s visit as a ‘cup final’ and the hosts lived up to that expectation both on and off the pitch.

From the outset, they operated with an intensity which would not appear out of place against Real Madrid in the Ukrainian capital come 13 days’ time.

Results elsewhere may have conspired against Liverpool’s hopes of a third-place finish but there was no danger of taking their own task lying down.

Salah back on Rushie’s tail

 

Ian Rush might not be able to sleep so soundly tonight.

Anfield’s season-best of 47 goals is now within Mohamed Salah’s grasp after ending a barren three-game spell with his side’s opener against the Seagulls.

Not only did he become the Premier League’s most prolific all-time marksman over a 38-game season but also moved within three goals of Rush’s tally.

Quite why the Egyptian has struggled in recent matches remains unclear but fatigue may have played more than a part in his brief lull period.

But Rush’s 1983/84 record is once again Salah’s to claim in his own right. A hat-trick in the Champions League final, or maybe more, should do the trick.

Home is again where the heart is

 

Not that long ago, Anfield used to hold little fear for opposing teams.

They relished the prospect of a trip to Merseyside, with the chances of pulling off a surprise scalp far more enhanced than in previous seasons.

Wins were easy to come by for the likes of Southampton, Swansea City and Crystal Palace, to name just three teams which emerged victorious last term.

But no one managed to find their way past Liverpool at home this season.

Klopp’s side stand alone as the one team across the entirety of English football to remain unbeaten on home soil throughout this season.

‘Fortress Anfield’ is officially back – and hopefully for good.

Farewell, but to whom?

 

As Liverpool’s players embarked on their customary end-of-season lap of honour, thoughts turned to who will find themselves surplus in the summer.

Simon Mignolet has made no secret of a desire to seek regular first-team football while fellow goalkeeper Adam Bogdan is another inevitable departure.

Although absent, Emre Can’s likely exit occupied the mind while others who graced Anfield with their presence may have done so a final time.

Question marks will hang over the futures of several first-team figures including Nathaniel Clyne and Danny Ings after their injury-plagued spells.

Streamlining a squad that was often light on quality will become Klopp’s priority this summer and some face may not been seen again in a red shirt.