Liverpool fans finally believe what the rest of us have known for several weeks now. Liverpool will win their first title in thirty years and it is now simply a question of when the Reds will pick up their first Premier League trophy, rather than if.
The Anfield crowd bellowed "we’re gonna win the league" after their latest success against rivals Manchester United and having got to this stage of the season unbeaten, with more points than any other Premier League team in history, that certainly looks to be the case.
Jurgen Klopp has transformed his side from an underachieving top-flight team, who were 10th in the Premier League when he took over, to the world, European and now almost certainly Premier League champions in the space of five years - truly remarkable. As they romp to the title, thoughts can begin to drift towards where they will officially end the league title drought that has spanned the entirety of the Premier League era.
We’ve analysed the numbers and looked at when Jordan Henderson can get his hands on the most treasured trophy in English club football.
Earliest Possible Win - February 29th - Vicarage Road
Liverpool may only need ten wins from their last sixteen games to officially be crowned champions but they could theoretically win the title after playing Watford away on the 29 February, if they win all of their games up until that point.
Of course, Liverpool’s perfect record would have to be combined with a disastrous run for both Manchester City, who would both have to lose all of their games to hand the Reds the title at the earliest possible opportunity, an unlikely outcome which is made even more improbable by the fact that Leicester and Chelsea would also have to hit a sticky run of form.
To put this date into perspective, the earliest a team has ever celebrated a Premier League title was on the 14 April 2001, when Manchester United celebrated their third title on the trot. In terms of games remaining, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City equalled that United team's record of winning the league with five games to spare - a record that Klopp’s men are on course to break this season.
Win It In Your Neighbour’s Backyard - March 14th - Goodison Park
If both Manchester City and Liverpool continue collecting points at the rate they have been doing since the start of this season, the Reds will do the unthinkable and win the league at rival Everton's Goodison Park. This may seem like some sort of dystopian nightmare for Toffee fans, but it could well become a reality in early March.
So far this campaign, with just one draw to their name, Klopp’s side have averaged a truly ridiculous 2.9 points per game. Guardiola’s men seem to be letting their title slip from their grasp with an average of 2.08 points per game, still impressive, but way off the numbers that the Reds are putting up. If this trend continues, City are set to be around 24 points behind the league leaders as they head into the Merseyside Derby, with just eight games remaining after the battle at Goodison.
Arsenal know what it is like to win the Premier League at the home of your closest rivals having secured the title in 2003/04 at White Hart Lane. The ‘Invincibles’ as they were known made history by going the entirety of the league season undefeated, but they did so by drawing twelve games and amassing 90 points, a total that has now been beaten on seven separate occasions, including by Liverpool last year. Any mention of a gold Premier League trophy is still some way off on Merseyside as it was this fixture last season that Toffees like to claim ‘cost’ Liverpool the title.
A 0-0 at Goodison was the last time the Reds dropped points in the league, before winning nine games in a row, along with Man City, to finish just a point adrift of the Citizens. How they would love to take their revenge twelve months on.
Win It At The Home Of The Champions - April 4th - Etihad Stadium
Snatching the title away from the current champions in their own backyard also has a satisfying ring to it for Liverpool fans. This one seems a real possibility given what we saw at the back end of last season if both sides win all of their league games up to this date then Klopp and co could win the league at the Etihad.
They wouldn’t even need to beat City to claim the title, the Reds would be on 91 points to City’s 72 with 18 points to play for after this game, meaning that a point would be enough to make the Premier League title official.
Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal have also tasted what this is like, completing this historic feat at Old Trafford in the 2001/02 season. Sylvain Wiltord scored the only goal of the game as the Gunners ended United’s run of three successive titles and celebrated wildly in front of the Manchester United faithful. Special.
Something that will be equally special for Liverpool fans is to see their side win it at Anfield, in front of the famous Kop. Any number of games, including games against Aston Villa, Burnley or Chelsea towards the back end of the season could see the Reds crowned champions on home turf. We may not know where or when quite yet, but one thing is almost certain, Liverpool will be Premier League champions.
