They say no-one remembers who finishes in second place. While the runners up is Premier League history have largely been forgotten, however, the exception that proves that rule might be the Liverpool team of 2018/19.
It’s not that Jurgen Klopp’s 2018/19 Liverpool team’s incredible total of 97 points would have been enough to win the Premier League title in most other years. They would have won it in every other year, including the year Arsenal went an entire season without losing (90 points) and Jose Mourinho’s first imperious year at Stamford Bridge (95 points). So what were the reasons that they didn’t win the title with that side? It’s a lot less simple than Manchester City proving to be one point better over the course of that surprising season.
The Manchester City side that went into action in 2018/19 was, of course, on the back of a record-breaking year in which The Citizens amassed 100 Premier League points. That they got within two points of this in the very next season is a feat that is truly remarkable. Many of the reasons for this must be accredited to Pep Guardiola, who propensity for motivating the most high-achieving of players is nothing short of sensational.
City got off to a traditionally strong start, winning their opening fixture away to Arsenal before thrashing Huddersfield 6-1 at The Etihad Stadium. A draw at Wolves followed, however, and City dropped to fifth place before a run of victories concluding in a dominant showing against Brighton restores them to the summit. The prescience of that moment would not be known until May.
City’s next game was at Anfield. Despite the game finishing 0-0, Guardiola’s side were on the front foot for most of the game and when they won a penalty in the 86th minute, they had the chance to win the points their performance deserved. Instead, Algerian forward Riyad Mahrez couldn’t seal the victory.
Guardiola’s side cut a path through sides for the next seven fixtures and were utterly dominant throughout, winning 6-1 against Southampton, thrashing West Han United 4-0 away from home and crushing derby rivals Manchester United 3-1 at the Etihad in a display of control and passing that saw pundits cast United as light years behind their great rivals.
Every side has a blip during a Premier League season and Manchester City began what would be a terrible 18 days in what was a bleak midwinter on December 8th. First, City lost 2-0 away to Chelsea, a side against whom they do not have a great Premier League record. Rebounding to beat Everton, City then hosted Crystal Palace in a game literally everyone except the Palace players themselves expected City to win easily. That did not happen, and in spectacular style.
It was a minor disaster for a team already in a sticky run, but what followed made a bad run even worse. A third defeat in four Premier League games was confirmed when Leicester City won 2-1 at the King Power Stadium. That defeat put Manchester City 3rd in the table, and it was vital that The Citizens triumphed in the return fixture against Liverpool to kick off 2019. Thanks to Sergio Aguero and Leroy Sane, that’s what they did.
Despite that victory City were behind, and while a 10-point lead for Liverpool had been trimmed, a final defeat of the league campaign away to Newcastle did more damage to City at the end of January. Liverpool, seven points clear, had the title in their own hands. However, 1-1 draws at home to Leicester and away to West Ham saw Liverpool’s lead down reduced, and they would stutter twice more, drawing blanks in two goalless draws away at historic local rivals Manchester United and Everton. Other than that, Liverpool won every other game, though, meaning Manchester City needed to win their final 14 games to take the title.
That improbable achievement is what Manchester City attained as they swept past all their rivals. Along the way, they beat Arsenal 3-1, thrashed Chelsea 6-0 at The Etihad Stadium and edged out Manchester United 2-0 at Old Trafford.
With nerves shredded as both sides went toe-to-toe at the end of the season, City needed miraculous late goals such as the one from Vincent Kompany against Leicester to claim their second successive league title.
On the final day, Liverpool won 2-0 at home to Wolves with an early and late goal from Sadio Mane. City, meanwhile, went 1-0 down to a Glenn Murray goal at Brighton’s Amex Stadium. In a unique foreshadowing from the victory against The Seagulls earlier in the season, City came back from the dead, scoring a minute later through Aguero before goals from Laporte, Mahrez and Gundogan sealed a memorable final day title victory in style.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6v0quDxuUs
There probably won’t ever be a title won by so few points from the runners-up yet so many ahead of 3rd place, Manchester City being 26 points better than the chasing pack. Liverpool were 25 points better than anyone else – except Manchester City.
It’s immeasurably harsh to say that Liverpool blew anything when so many points were gathered by both sides, yet to be frank, that is what happened in those away games at Old Trafford and Goodison Park where it appeared the Merseysiders’ hope was that a point would be decent enough if City then dropped points. They didn’t drop a single point in the last 14 games, however, and Liverpool paid the horrendously harsh price for not making sure they played every single game in a desperate hunt for three points.
You can watch every Premier League goal City scored in that fateful season right here:
