2 weeks Ago By BBC
It is a matter of time before Liverpool are crowned champions, and it could happen as early as Sunday if results go their way. It is rare in Premier League history for a team to have about 70 points after 32 games and be 10 or more points ahead - but not unprecedented. While 10 Premier League leaders have had more points at this stage, only one had a bigger lead than Liverpool's 13 points - the Reds themselves in 2019-20 when they had a record 86 points and a 20-point lead.
For those who may use this to argue that Liverpool haven't actually been that great, then the same must surely apply to three previous title-winning sides. These are Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United sides of 1999-2000 (73 pts, 11-pt lead) and 2000-01 (73 pts, 13-pt lead), and Jose Mourinho's Chelsea side in 2014-15 (76 pts, 10-pt lead). I'd love to see someone say that those United sides weren't actually that great to Roy Keane's face! While it's true that Liverpool's 76 points at this stage wouldn't have guaranteed them the title in the past few seasons, it would have put them in a strong position and matches the pace set by recent table-toppers.
The same cannot be said of the teams chasing them. Arsenal 's 63 points is the fewest the second-placed team has had after 32 games since Leicester 's miracle season of 2015-16. It's perhaps because we've had such close title races in the past few seasons – including an incredible three-horse race last season – that the lack of one this year has seemed so stark.
It actually mirrors Manchester City 's title-winning campaign in 2020-21, when Pep Guardiola's side had 74 points and an eight-point lead at this stage, as defending champions Liverpool suffered a raft of injuries to key players and were battling just to finish in the top four. We all know that it takes two to tango in a title race - but is it Liverpool's fault that no-one else has been able to match their moves?.
