A strange end to a turbulent season at Anfield. There was pride, but there were regrets. There were protest songs against meddling owners, but this time they came from the Manchester City supporters, rather than the locals. And as the Liverpool players embarked on the lap of honour after their final home game of the season, there was nothing so striking as the scowl on the features of Steven Gerrard.

This is not to suggest that Gerrard is having a repeat of the pangs that almost drove him to Chelsea, but, as Fernando Torres took a bow in front of the Kop, his captain had a face like thunder. Perhaps the pain of the Champions League semi-final defeat by Chelsea four days earlier had only just sunk in. Perhaps he was vowing that, three weeks short of his 28th birthday, he cannot allow another title race to pass Liverpool by.

This was supposed to be Sven-Göran Eriksson’s story, with City supporters giving their manager a show of support that will stay with him long after he has been evicted from office by Thaksin Shinawatra, the club’s Thai chairman. Or it could have been Torres’s story, given that the Liverpool forward had settled the match with his 32nd goal of an extraordinary first season in English football and, in doing so, had equalled Roger Hunt’s club record of scoring in eight consecutive home matches. But Gerrard’s scowl, as he pondered a summer without so much as the European Championship finals to look forward to, seemed to say more than anything.

John Arne Riise, Jermaine Pennant, Harry Kewell and Peter Crouch did not join their teammates on the lap of honour and may bid personal farewells as Liverpool look to sign players such as Gareth Barry, the Aston Villa captain, and Philipp Degen, the Borussia Dortmund full back.

As for the match, it did not amount to much. Inevitably, the goal came from Torres, running at Richard Dunne before shooting past the excellent Joe Hart. Four days earlier, Torres had been substituted in the Champions League semi-final, second leg against Chelsea with what appeared to be only a minor hamstring injury. Even he, it seemed, was unable to push himself the final furlong when it mattered. Next season, Gerrard insists, will be different.

Liverpool (4-2-3-1): J M Reina 5 – S Finnan 5, J Carragher 7, S Hyypia 6, E Insua 6 – Lucas Leiva 6 (sub: X Alonso, 74min), J Mascherano 7 – D Kuyt 7, S Gerrard 7, R Babel 7 (sub: Y Benayoun, 68 6) – F Torres 7. Substitutes not used: C Itandje, M Skrtel, A Voronin.

Manchester City (4-2-3-1): J Hart 8 – Sun Jihai 5, V Corluka 6, R Dunne 6, M Ball 5 – S Ireland 5, M Johnson 6 – D Vassell 4 (sub: J Garrido, 82), Elano 4 (sub: D Hamann, 67 5), M Petrov 3 (sub: N Castillo, 67 4) – Benjani Mwaruwari 4. Substitutes not used: A Isaksson, Gelson Fernandes.

Referee: M Halsey
Attendance: 43,074