It was billed as an epic clash between two football giants – Liverpool FC v Manchester City on Sunday, November 10th 2019. For the two teams that have battled it out at the top of the Premier League for the last few seasons, the three points up for grabs were worth their weight in gold.
There was plenty of pre-match bluster but the reality is that Liverpool have had a much better start to their season than City and frankly, are playing better football. However, that doesn’t always translate into a good game so both teams had all to play for. A win for Liverpool and they would go nine points clear of City. But a win for the Manchester blues and they would move back into second place on the table.
It was a solid game and for the most part both teams had their chances, but it was Liverpool who took theirs, winning the game 3-1. With goals from Fabinho, Mo Salah and Mane, it was a well deserved outcome. However, it doesn’t necessarily reflect the match itself in which both teams were equally matched for most of the 90 minutes.
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But a win is a win and Liverpool will gleefully take the points and solidify their position at the top of the league. They are now eight points clear of second place Leicester City and have won three more games than their nearest rivals.
But while everybody is talking about Liverpool potentially winning their first Premier League title in 30 years, it is most certainly not a given. You don’t need the memory of an elephant to remember back to last season when Liverpool bottled it and lost a 10-point lead. They had raced out of the gates and were firm contenders for the title.
Half way through the season they looked unstoppable. Then they started to score less and concede more. Their shots per game dipped, as did their shots on target. Manchester City however, saw a reversal in their fortunes and won all but one of their last 10 games. It came down to the wire but Liverpool were flat out of luck and lost the league by one single point.
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So can Liverpool, under the guidance of manager Jurgen Klopp finally bag the elusive title? Bookmakers aren’t taking any chances and have promptly installed them as odds on favourites with Manchester City slightly behind them. Interestingly, despite currently being in second place, Leicester City are not really in contention as far as the odds are concerned and can still be had for at least 40/1. This could still be a good bet for fans who have more faith in their team than the bookies.
Any team can start off well in the Premier League. And they can also start off really badly – look at Manchester United! But it’s a long season and we are still barely a third of the way through this current campaign. Realistically anything can and probably will happen. So have Liverpool already won the league? That would be a firm no. One thing is for sure though, it’s going to be a very exciting battle for the top spot once March, April and May 2020 roll around!
