Manchester City and Liverpool are fighting for the Premier League title, and it’s almost impossible to imagine anyone else joining the battle unless both teams are trapped in giant rockets and go into space (in which case Chelsea » you need to get 17 points to win the championship). Manchester City has Pep Guardiola and the pedigree, but Liverpool already has a hidden Champions League trophy and the drive and confidence of nine consecutive league titles. One point behind Manchester City, with a Champions League semi-final against Villarreal and an FA Cup final against Chelsea just around the corner: Liverpool could end the season with three home trophies and the most significant European title Liverpool can claim. Suppose ex-Reds Steven Gerrard and Philippe Coutinho team up at Aston Villa to dash Liverpool’s hopes of winning a second Premier League title. In that case, it could be a brutal turn of events.
Jurgen Klopp has already expressed concerns about Liverpool’s schedule as they attempt to achieve an unprecedented quadruple, having already won the Carabao Cup. Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola’s City had their treble hopes dashed by Liverpool in the FA Cup semifinal at Wembley last weekend, a game that ended 3-2. However, they could still end the season with the Premier League and Champions League trophies.
Manchester City (Saturday) face Watford with a chance (at least temporarily) to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table to four points, but with only four suitable defenders to choose from. The City will then face Leeds United at the end of April before heading to Real Madrid for the second leg of the Champions League semi-final, and it will be interesting to see how the season ends as the club could win two trophies. One or possibly zero, and Liverpool’s goal is four.
Due to the collapse, Liverpool also managed to get third from West Ham, one point behind first-place Manchester City, despite being the top-scoring team in the Premier League with 83 goals. Liverpool also surpassed Benfica in the Champions League and will face Villarreal in the semi-final. A year later, Liverpool avenged Liverpool by winning their first Premier League title with an 18-point lead over Manchester City. Since then, Premier League title rivals have met 13 times in all competitions, with Liverpool winning four and Manchester City 4 and 5 (although one of those draws came at the Community Shield, which City won on penalties).
The fall opened the door for Liverpool, who were in top form, having won their last six consecutive Liverpool league games. Regardless of the threat from the other side of the pitch, as the two shared four matches at Stamford Bridge on Opening Day 2022, Liverpool has conceded only two of nine in the Premier League against Crystal Palace and Norwich City.
