It isn’t the losses that kill your Premier League title challenge, it’s the draws. At no point on Sunday were Liverpool in first place. The Reds only took the lead against Wolverhampton Wanderers after Aston Villa had ridiculously conceded three goals in five minutes to Manchester City.
Liverpool ended the season with a record of 28W-8W-2L and 92 points compared to Manchester City’s 29W-6D-3L and 93 points. They are nearly identical records but the two additional draws Liverpool had compared to Man City (although the Cityzens had an extra defeat), tell the story of Liverpool coming up one point short in the title race.
The Premier League title wasn’t lost on the final day of the season. It wasn’t Liverpool’s to lose, only to gain. Aston Villa were put in a difficult situation made only more difficult by Steven Gerrard’s history (and possible future) with Liverpool.
In September as Liverpool drew 3-3 with Brentford in West London, the two points dropped were huge and could have been the difference on Sunday. Allowing Brighton to come from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Anfield at the end of October was another moment in which everyone said, “that could be the difference come May”.
In the end, those two draws, which should have been two wins, were the difference. Had either of those games ended as victories, Liverpool would likely be holding the Premier League trophy today. Let’s not forget that Liverpool failed to defeat Manchester City twice. The game at Anfield saw City come back twice to level the score.
Yet, Liverpool had been brilliant over the last five months to even have a shot at winning the trophy on the final day. Missing the title by one point on Sunday shouldn’t take away from what has been an amazing season that can still end with the Champions League trophy on Saturday against Real Madrid. For all of the Carabao Cups, Premier League titles, and FA Cups that Manchester City have won, it is the European Cup they want the most but cannot win.
Hopefully, for the team and supporters, the disappointment that many felt on Sunday won’t carry over to the Champions League Final. Real Madrid won La Liga at a canter and Sunday’s disappointment is exactly what Los Blancos want. With an alleged ban against Real Madrid in UEFA competitions upcoming (the real reason Kylian Mbappe stayed at PSG), the Spanish giants will be desperate to win a 14th European Cup.
At one point, Liverpool were well behind Manchester City in the title race. In January, the Cityzens were 10 points ahead of Liverpool and your typical journalist/pundit proclaimed the title race over and the Premier League to be dull because City were running away with the trophy. Yet, Liverpool clawed the Cityzens back and there is no arguing that Pep Guardiola’s team felt the pressure in the final two weeks of the Premier League campaign.
Liverpool have played five more games compared to City this season and still have one game to go – the European Cup Final, which is a match Guardiola seems unable to reach without an in his prime Lionel Messi. City scored 150 goals in all competitions to Liverpool’s 147. The Reds conceded 47 goals in all competitions to Manchester City’s 48.
These are the two greatest teams of all time. Although that is a difficult thing to say. You cannot compare teams across eras. It is unfair to everyone involved.
Liverpool are the Carabao Cup and FA Cup winners. They can still win the Champions League on Saturday in Paris against the current Spanish champions. The European Cup would help everyone forget about the disappointment of the Premier League.
What a season it has been to be a Liverpool supporter. With Klopp signing to stay at Anfield for longer, there is hope for more great seasons ahead.
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