Liverpool’s 30-year wait for another league title victory is finally over after Manchester City lost 2-1 to Chelsea in tonight’s Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge.
The Reds thrashed Crystal Palace 4-0 on Wednesday night to put themselves on the brink of title glory, and they can finally celebrate tonight thanks to previous champions City failing to get the win they needed to keep themselves mathematically in the running.
In truth, however, it makes little difference for Pep Guardiola and co., with this season’s title race looking a formality for months now – that is, until Liverpool were almost denied in the most unexpected and bizarre fashion.
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The current coronavirus pandemic continues to take lives across the globe and is a reminder of how unimportant football is in many ways, but there’s no denying it would have been an incredibly cruel way for Liverpool fans to miss out after such a dominant season.
Jurgen Klopp’s side were a staggering 25 points clear when the season had to be put on hold back in March, needing just two wins from nine remaining fixtures to be confirmed as champions.
However, at points it looked like football may not be able to resume due to the COVID-19 outbreak, with the French and Dutch leagues among other major competitions in Europe to be cancelled completely.
Huge work was put in, however, to make ‘Project Restart’ a reality, and now Liverpool have their hands on the trophy that has eluded them for so long.
Having been so dominant in the 70s and 80s, it’s remarkable to think the Merseyside giants spent so long in the shadow of the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City – and even Leicester – as they enjoyed title successes in the Premier League era while Liverpool continued to miss out.
They came agonisingly close in 2013/14, and again last season, being narrowly pipped to the prize by City each time, but this year, there was just no stopping them.
Victory in last season’s Champions League final will have done Klopp’s squad the world of good in terms of boosting their confidence, but this is the trophy the club have been so desperate to get their hands on again after such a long wait.
With the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane working their magic in attack, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson keeping things tight at the back, plus the heroic efforts of club captain Jordan Henderson in the middle of the park, there’s no denying this is the best team in the country, and the table, and their very early title victory, confirms that.
After so many near-misses and so many years of heartache, Liverpool deserve their moment, and the emphatic nature of their victory this season suggests it could be the first of many.
Credit must go to Klopp for masterminding this turnaround at Anfield, with a modern day period of domination perhaps harder to achieve due to the sheer quality of the competition, but with the German tactician at the helm they’re in very safe hands indeed.