Liverpool’s dominant 2-0 win over Manchester City put them nine points clear at the top of the Premier League table – and 11 points above the perennial champions – as they continue to take charge of the title race.
Arsenal, runners-up for the past two seasons, and Chelsea – performing better this season than expected under Enzo Maresca – are joint-second after winning this weekend.
City’s defeat has seen them drop to fifth – below Brighton & Hove Albion – while Liverpool are nine points in front after the Anfield success.
“It is a good position to be in,” boss Arne Slot told BBC Sport. “You guys know better than me that Arsenal and City are able to win every game from now until the end [of the season].
“Chelsea are able to win every game. It makes the Premier League so interesting – there’s so many good teams.
“Last season there was a big difference in points between Arsenal and City and they were still able to come back.”
Opta’s ‘supercomputer’ gives Liverpool an 85.1% chance of going on to lift the title – making them overwhelming favourites – while City’s chances have slumped to 4.4%.
But is it really that clear cut?
Image source: Getty Images/BBC Sport
Liverpool’s position now ‘means nothing’
Liverpool’s start under Slot, who had the potentially tricky task of replacing the legendary Jurgen Klopp in the summer, has been phenomenal.
The Reds have won 11 of their 13 Premier League games – and all seven European and domestic cup matches.
Slot has equalled the record of 34 for most points by a manager in his first 13 Premier League matches, set by Guus Hiddink at Chelsea mid-season in 2008-09.
“If you would’ve said at the start of the season Liverpool would be where they are now you wouldn’t believe them, you’d think they need locking up,” said Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane.
Only twice before has a team been nine or more clear at the top of the Premier League table after 13 games, Manchester United in 1993-94 and Chelsea in 2005-06, and both those sides won the title.
Still, Liverpool are understandably not getting carried away, with two-thirds of the season left to go.
Reds defender Joe Gomez told BBC Radio 5 Live: “At the start of the season if you said we’d be in this position we would bite your hand off.
“It means nothing at this point, come the end of the season if we are not lifting the trophy it will feel like we have squandered a big opportunity.”
A ‘mini-crisis’ – do Man City face fight for top-four spot?
Only three teams have ever won the title after trailing the leaders by 11 points or more – Arsenal in 1997-98 and Manchester United in both 1992-93 and 1995-96.
“I don’t think there’s any way back for Manchester City now,” said ex-Liverpool defender and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher after the Anfield encounter.
City boss Pep Guardiola did not concede the title, though.
“I said before this game that we weren’t in a position to think about targets but the season is long,” he said.
“We have to think about making results and then some players will come back and then we’ll be better and we’ll believe maybe. There are many things to fight for and we’re going to try.”
City are famously strong finishers – and have only lost a combined four Premier League games after Christmas across the past three seasons.
If they won their last 25 matches they would finish on 98 points, while Liverpool’s form, stretched along the rest of the campaign, would see them finish on 99.
Carragher said: “Right now I could see Man City losing another four or five games between now and the end of the season.
“I think it’s almost a mini-crisis at Manchester City. I think it’s reminiscent of Liverpool two years ago and I think City might have a fight on their hands for top four.”
City have not failed to reach the Champions League since 2010-11 and former defender Micah Richards called the current situation “bleak”.
“I’m not going to rule City out completely because football can be like that, but I can’t see them catching Liverpool,” he admitted.