Rafael Benitez admitted there were mixed feelings as Liverpool ended their season on a winning note.
The Anfield outfit secured a 3-1 home win over Tottenham Hotspur yesterday to finish the campaign on 86 points, their highest tally in the Premier League era.
However, despite losing only two league games, remaining unbeaten at home and being the top-flight’s leading scorers, Liverpool’s efforts weren’t enough to overhaul champions Manchester United.
And Benitez said: “There is both pride and disappointment. We have to be proud because when you talk about 86 points, it’s massive.
“But still it’s not enough to win the title. Clearly we have to improve and be almost perfect if we want to win the title.
“It’s not just United. You see Chelsea, you see Arsenal, and I’m sure Aston Villa, City and Tottenham will be better in the future.
“We have only lost two games in the Premier League and five in all competitions.
“It’s not easy ending the season without a trophy with these numbers but the Premier League and England is very difficult. We still have to improve, but clearly we have improved a lot.
“We have to now keep the same level as this season, the consistency. You can talk about the draws but also we’ve won a lot of games at the end. We need to be more ruthless from the beginning.
“It’s a challenge for us now to sign the right players, start the season like we did this one and not make mistakes.”
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp saw his club’s chance of European football ended, despite seventh-placed Fulham’s home defeat by Everton.
A win would have seen Tottenham leapfrog their London rivals to claim a UEFA Europa League spot.
Redknapp said: “We were short of several players, and lost Jonathan Woodgate the day before the match.
“We tried our hardest, European football would have been a real achievement considering the position Spurs were in when I arrived at the club.
“We almost did it in the end. But to have climbed from bottom to eighth is something to be proud of.
“We were just not able to hurt Liverpool. Some of our defending was poor, the goals we gave away could have been averted.”
The game saw Sami Hyypia’s final appearance for Liverpool and Redknapp added: “It was nice to see Sami Hyypia come on. He got an unbelievable ovation from a fantastic club.”
The Anfield outfit secured a 3-1 home win over Tottenham Hotspur yesterday to finish the campaign on 86 points, their highest tally in the Premier League era.
However, despite losing only two league games, remaining unbeaten at home and being the top-flight’s leading scorers, Liverpool’s efforts weren’t enough to overhaul champions Manchester United.
And Benitez said: “There is both pride and disappointment. We have to be proud because when you talk about 86 points, it’s massive.
“But still it’s not enough to win the title. Clearly we have to improve and be almost perfect if we want to win the title.
“It’s not just United. You see Chelsea, you see Arsenal, and I’m sure Aston Villa, City and Tottenham will be better in the future.
“We have only lost two games in the Premier League and five in all competitions.
“It’s not easy ending the season without a trophy with these numbers but the Premier League and England is very difficult. We still have to improve, but clearly we have improved a lot.
“We have to now keep the same level as this season, the consistency. You can talk about the draws but also we’ve won a lot of games at the end. We need to be more ruthless from the beginning.
“It’s a challenge for us now to sign the right players, start the season like we did this one and not make mistakes.”
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp saw his club’s chance of European football ended, despite seventh-placed Fulham’s home defeat by Everton.
A win would have seen Tottenham leapfrog their London rivals to claim a UEFA Europa League spot.
Redknapp said: “We were short of several players, and lost Jonathan Woodgate the day before the match.
“We tried our hardest, European football would have been a real achievement considering the position Spurs were in when I arrived at the club.
“We almost did it in the end. But to have climbed from bottom to eighth is something to be proud of.
“We were just not able to hurt Liverpool. Some of our defending was poor, the goals we gave away could have been averted.”
The game saw Sami Hyypia’s final appearance for Liverpool and Redknapp added: “It was nice to see Sami Hyypia come on. He got an unbelievable ovation from a fantastic club.”
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