The eyes of the football world were once again on Liverpool and Man City on Sunday afternoon.
The Reds taking on City has so often been the highlight of the football calendar over the past decade or so.
With Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola establishing an enthralling rivalry, their two teams have vied for the biggest prizes in the game.
On Sunday, that era came to a close. Klopp brought the curtain down on a legendary nine-year spell at Anfield. As Ian Wright observed, it was a sad, but more celebratory day than had been expected.
Meanwhile, in Manchester, City lifted the Premier League title for a fourth season in a row, and a sixth in seven years. With the party in full flow at Anfield and the Etihad Stadium, viewing figures for both celebrations have now been revealed.
Viewing figures released for final Premier League day
It might have been a surprise to some neutral viewers to see Liverpool chosen to be on the TV this weekend. After all, their game against Wolves had nothing riding on it for either team.
But the pull is obvious. Like him or loathe him, Klopp has been a huge figure in Premier League, as well as Liverpool history.
And, happily, that is shown in the ratings for Sunday’s final day of the season.
Despite City enjoying their success, it’s safe to say that it means relatively little to the outside world. Liverpool on the other hand remain a huge draw.
“70% higher UK TV average audience and 44% more YouTube views for Klopp’s Anfield farewell on Sunday compared to Man City’s PL title celebrations,” journalist James Pearce reports on X, stating information from Blinkfire Analytics.
“LFC the most engaged club on social platforms in European football over the weekend (39.2m). City second (27.1m).”
Jurgen Klopp receives David Beckham praise
It’s hardly surprising that Liverpool’s goodbye for Klopp was the most watched thing on TV this Sunday.
The German has touched so many lives over the course of his spell at the club. Even enemies love him, as David Beckham has now proven.
Beckham and Klopp of course never came up against each other directly, but as a Manchester United legend, the 49-year-old has no right enjoying anything to do with Liverpool. But according to Beckham, even he loves Klopp.
Reds fans will need no telling, but Jurgen really has captured the imagination of not just their fan base, but most of the rest of the country, too.
As he departs, it feels likely that we’ll only truly realise just what a huge figure Klopp was in the years to come. We’d rather have the Premier League trophy, of course, but in terms of club stature, there’s no comparing these two.
