Surely Liverpool Won’t Bottle the League?
With Liverpool having exited the Champions League and lost the League Cup final to Saudi Arabian sports-washing operation Newcastle United in the space of a week, the feeling around Anfield was briefly one of doom and gloom.
Outside voices began to declare that the 2024-2025 campaign was turning into a ‘disappointing’ one for the Reds, in spite of the fact that those same voices gave us no chance of winning the league at the start of the season. The good news is that we are winning the league title. Right?
We Need 15 Points From Our Last Nine Games
As soon as things begin to go wrong, it is easy to look behind every door and under every bed and see monsters wherever you look. Liverpool fans might well look at the club’s remaining fixtures and decide that the Reds won’t be able to win another football match, whilst viewing Arsenal’s as the easiest set of games that any club has ever had. As things currently stand, Liverpool are 12 points clear of the Gunners and boast a superior goal difference, meaning that 15 more points will be enough to win it, or 16 if you think Arsenal’s goal difference will improve.
Liverpool watching Arsenal drop more points vs. Man Utd.
15 points clear
— Premier League Fantasy (@premierleaguefpl.bsky.social) March 9, 2025 at 6:33 PM
That is obviously assuming that Arsenal win all of their remaining games, which seems extremely unlikely when you consider that Mikel Arteta’s side haven’t won four Premier League games in a row all season long. Even so, the important thing is for Liverpool to ensure that it is entirely in their own hands, winning more points than the Gunners will be able to achieve if they were to win every game left, which means taking 15 or 16 points from here depending on how much stock you put into leaving it to goal difference.
It isn’t ‘If’, it’s ‘When’
Having gone up against Pep Guardiola’s sports-washing operation for the United Arab Emirates, Manchester City, in every other recent title race, it is no surprise that some Liverpool supporters might be feeling twitchy about whether or not the Reds can get this one across the line. After all, we broke 90 points twice and missed out, getting the sort of points total that would’ve been enough to win it in virtually any other Premier League season only to see a side with 130 charges against it get to celebrate the win instead of us.
@leosgoals When the Bus Parade Will Be! #lfc #ynwa #premierleague #footballtiktok ♬ original sound – Leosgoals
The reality is, though, that it is little more than a procession for Liverpool from here. Yes, the games still need to be won, but with nothing else to play for there is no chance that the manager or the players will be distracted enough from this point to end up doing anything other than lifting the trophy. As a result, it is a matter of when it happens rather than if it will. Here is a look at the teams that Liverpool have left to play this season, as well as the score in the first match that we played against them earlier in the campaign:
Opposition | Location | Score Earlier in the Season |
---|---|---|
Everton | Anfield | 2-2 Draw |
Fulham | Craven Cottage | 2-2 Draw |
West Ham United | Anfield | 5-0 Win |
Leicester City | King Power Stadium | 3-1 Win |
Tottenham Hotspur | Anfield | 6-3 Win |
Chelsea | Stamford Bridge | 2-1 Win |
Arsenal | Anfield | 2-2 Draw |
Brighton & Hove Albion | Amex Stadium | 2-1 Win |
Crystal Palace | Anfield | 1-0 Win |
We haven’t lost to any of the teams that we still have to play, having only lost to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League all season. Supporters who always look at the negatives need to remember that and stop fearing that we’re suddenly going to go on a nine-match losing streak out of nowhere, whilst Arsenal also win nine games in a row having looked incapable of doing so throughout the campaign.
It’s a Virtually Unassailable Lead
Nothing is ever over until it’s over. That is the kind of thing that people who believe in superstition will tell you. They will doubtless say ‘touch wood’ whilst touching something that definitely isn’t wood, or wear their lucky underwear to every match. Whilst there is a degree of truth to that, the reality is that Liverpool’s lead at the top of the table is as good as unassailable.
Federico Chiesa’s father:
“I can guarantee that Federico is very happy at Liverpool. He is at a top club that is leading the Premier League and now we hope he can win the title! He is there to have his say and to play, he has a great opportunity. He’s so happy at Liverpool.” pic.twitter.com/MymGuHWbhJ
— Slotoholic (@Slotoholic) March 24, 2025
Yes, Arsenal overturned a 13-point deficit in the 1997-1998 season, but they did so with a game in hand and with almost half of the season still to play. When Manchester United overturned huge deficits in the 1990s, they did so with plenty of games left in the campaign. No team has had a lead as big as Liverpool’s with just nine games left to play and not won the title. Put the champagne on ice, you will definitely get to pop it.
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