In a season that has seen records tumble and dominance reign supreme, Liverpool’s recent triumph over Manchester City has effectively sealed their long-awaited Premier League crown.
The Reds’ Reign Begins
Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium has left them 11 points clear at the summit, with only 11 matches remaining. The win, coupled with Arsenal’s loss to West Ham, has rendered the Reds’ lead virtually insurmountable. Fans chanted ‘We’re going to win the league’ and ‘Hand it over’ at the final whistle, signaling the start of Liverpool’s reign as Premier League champions.
Salah Soars, Records Tumble
Mohamed Salah opened the scoring with his 30th goal of the season before setting up Dominik Szoboszlai for the second, wrapping up the win before halftime. Salah has now scored 30 or more goals in five separate seasons for Liverpool, equaling club legends Roger Hunt and Ian Rush. His tally of 21 assists takes his total goal contributions to an astonishing 51 before the end of February.
Metrics of Dominance
Liverpool’s superiority is underlined by their dominance in various metrics. They have scored the most goals (64), had the most shots (452), and the most shots on target (173). Their possession percentage of 33.9% against City was their lowest in a Premier League victory since 2003-04, yet they remained in control and comfortable throughout the match.
No Way Back for Arsenal?
While head coach Arne Slot cautiously avoided declaring the title race over, former England goalkeeper Joe Hart stated, ‘There’s no way back for Arsenal in the title race.’ Liverpool’s lead is almost unprecedented at this stage of the season, with only Manchester United’s 11-point advantage over Arsenal in 1997-98 bearing any comparison, but that United side had already lost five games by that point.
Procession to the Premier League Crown
Pep Guardiola, who warmly congratulated Slot and the Liverpool players after the match, acknowledged the Reds’ superiority, asking rhetorically, ‘How many points are they away from Arsenal? How many games have they lost?’ With seven of their remaining 11 games at Anfield, Liverpool can now afford some slip-ups, although Slot will not want that. Arsenal, on the other hand, will have to win almost every game, which looks beyond a side with a propensity to slip under pressure. The closing stages of the season could turn into a Liverpool procession as they march towards their long-awaited Premier League title.
