The Denouement

I was trying to find a picture of Steven Gerrard looking sad or otherwise disappointed during Sunday's match, but I gave up after a few minutes. I would like to include such a thing as a tidy bow on this post and wrap things up on Liverpool's season – as best as that could be accomplished now – but Liverpool doesn't need me to pile on anymore. I'm a supporter after all.

At the start of last week, I made my case for hoping Liverpool went out and tried to win versus Chelsea. Personal circumstances made watching the match impossible, but if you follow the right folks on Twitter, just tracking your timeline can give you a fair impression of what happened. I guess the only thing that could make it worse is if Wigan somehow took something off Chelsea this weekend, and Manchester United won their game. Anfield couldn't tip the title chase in favor of their hated rivals, but Roberto Martinez found a way!

The unkindest cut of all, in many ways, was how Ferguson responded to Gerrard's horror play. Magnanimous. Understanding. Respectful. A lot of press reaction I read expressed surprise, but, for all the red-faced fury that old man has produced in me, I understood him while also resenting his reaction. He appears the sportsman while refusing to give Liverpool the satisfaction of seeing him upset at something they did. His reaction is probably genuine, but it also serves as a reminder to Liverpool supporters that, in this season of misery, nothing our team did could affect him – not even denying them the title.

It's easy amid the questions surrounding Anfield to get drawn into the Fergie hate. It's a less worrisome position to take. After all, the entire setup is a question right now, from who will write the checks to who will be the fourth or fifth choice central defender. When, as a fan, the only thing to cling to is that United finished a point behind Chelsea for the title, the biggest question you have to answer is how it's come to the point where your team's defining moment is centered around two sides from out of town.