And so, it’s Liverpool who have won the Premier League for only the second time in their history, and they’ve done it without so much as a question of their authority. After defeating Brighton on November 2nd, they leapt to the top of the table and haven’t dropped below that spot since. It’s the most dominant title win since, well, Liverpool back in 2020.
There’s an existing school of thought which suggests that this title win is as much a result of the poor performances of the sides around them as Arne Slot’s side’s own dominance, but that’s not entirely true.
Yes, Manchester City’s proverbial cliff-drop debilitated any chance of a fifth consecutive Premier League title. They haven’t been in the title picture since that same day in November, when a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Bournemouth began a spell of four consecutive defeats from which they were never able to recover. Liverpool just kept winning.
As for Arsenal, it’s easy to forget that this was supposed to be their year. After two seasons of pushing City right to the very end, it only made sense that they would be the side to dislodge English football’s blue supremacy.
But no. Their inconsistency has left them well-and-truly stuck in second place; they’ve spent 18 weeks of the season preparing for this silver medal, not so much hamstrung by losses, but draws in the crucial moments. Two points dropped against Fulham. Ditto against Everton, then Brighton, then Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, Everton again and Brentford. Liverpool just kept winning.
Slot’s side have been nothing but proficient. Twenty-five consecutive weeks atop of the table doesn’t just happen. It doesn’t happen because sides around you aren’t up to scratch. It doesn’t happen because of luck. It happens because your side is just the best.
Their stats present a sea of green. They’ve scored the most goals and created the most expected goals. They’ve taken the most shots and shots on target to boot. Defensively, only Arsenal have conceded fewer than the 31 goals which Liverpool have allowed, but not even they can match the 28 goals Liverpool have been expected to concede. They’re deadly up top and watertight at the back.
It’s this consistency which has won Liverpool the league table. When the teams around you struggle, you still have to win football matches, and that’s exactly what they’ve done. Twenty-six times.
There are so many reasons for this consistency. First and foremost, the stars. Mohamed Salah is the premier goal-scorer and assist-provider not only in the Premier League, but in Europe’s top five leagues altogether.
Not Robert Lewandowski nor Harry Kane can match his 27 goals; Lamine Yamal and Michael Olise both have 12 assists, but that doesn’t lay a glove on Salah’s 18. The Egyptian has provided a remarkable 45 goal contributions so far in the league alone. It might even be his best ever season in red. He’s their king for a reason.
And then there’s Slot. When Jürgen Klopp announced his departure last season, a close friend and Liverpudlian described it as if he had lost a family member. That’s how intrinsically linked Klopp and his city were.
Over eight years, he became an adopted scouser. He was the man who turned them from a joke to the real deal, bagging a Champions League trophy and Premier League title along the way. The relatively unproven Slot was a risk. He felt like a new stepdad arriving to attempt to fill shoes which seemed much too big.
But he’s done a better job than anyone could possibly have imagined. Liverpool were never in the title conversation at the start of the season, until suddenly, they were the only title conversation.
Slot has brought a tactical adaptability to his side unmatched by most other top managers bound to tactical dogma. Twelve times this season, his side have scored more goals in the second half than the first. In only one of those games had they scored in the first half at all. It’s as if he watches the first half, works out exactly what his opponents are all about, and then returns to the dressing room with a completely new plan to put in place.
Many managers tinker with their squads and set-ups over the course of a season; not many have intelligent enough flux to do that in the middle of a match. Liverpool aren’t a team who play a certain way, but they are a team who play the right way, week by week, opponent by opponent. And now, Premier League title in tow, they’ve reaped their rewards.
Who knows when they’ll next manage this? This season has felt like the end of the old guard and the beginning of the new. Salah and captain Virgil van Dijk only extended their stays at the club after a lot of umming and arring around possible moves; boyhood hero Trent Alexander-Arnold looks to have already packed his bags for Madrid. Alisson, having spent much of the season injured, is preparing to pass the torch to Giorgi Mamardashvili. Darwin Núñez and Luis Díaz’s futures are also in doubt. The squad that won them this title may not stay together for much longer. And that makes it even more significant.
The changes aren’t all negative. Slot has brought the best out of Ryan Gravenberch, for example, who seemed all but surplus to requirements under Klopp. Cody Gakpo has found a new lease of life under his compatriot, too, and Conor Bradley could be primed to fill the vacancy left by Alexander-Arnold. Liverpool are at a crossroads between their past and future, but the present is all that matters now: they’re Premier League champions.
Of course, there is a downside to it all. This season, more so than perhaps any other in the history of the Premier League, has felt rather devoid of jeopardy. All three promoted sides looked doomed to relegation from the word go, and come the end of April, their fates had all been sealed. As for the other end of the table, Liverpool may have only just secured their title win, but it’s been an inevitability since the turn of the year.
The unique stories of the season have been the ascents of Nottingham Forest, Fulham, Brighton and Bournemouth, and the catastrophic declines of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. Liverpool’s monumental achievement, this their 20th top flight title, has felt less remarkable. Let’s face it: no one likes a runaway winner, unless of course you happen to support the team blowing everyone else away.
But it’s not Liverpool’s fault. You can’t blame them for being better than everyone. That’s their job. They’re on track for 94 points, enough to win the league in all but four of the 33 Premier League seasons. They cannot be blamed for the underperformance of other sides, and they may well have won the league anyway if they were given stiffer opposition. Simply put, they have just been the best. By far.