Will the Premier League Title race go to the wire?
What a season we have had so far. At the beginning of December City held a narrow two point lead at the top of the table with title rivals Liverpool breathing down their neck. I think if you had asked Jurgen Klopp would you be happy two points behind City come Christmas he would have bitten your arm off, so the fact that the Reds are currently four points clear will please the German to no end.
As impressive as Liverpool have been this season the fear is still there - lurking in the background for the Merseyside faithful. As good as they have been they still failed to capitalise on the golden opportunity to create a truly commanding lead at the top of the table by beating rivals Manchester City. Still to have the gap sitting at Seven points heading into 2019 really wasn't a bad scenario to find themselves in. This defeat proved a bit of a stumbling block for Liverpool as they went on to crash out of the FA cup in their next game at the hand of an impressive and organised Wolves side.
It has to be said that the Liverpool front line of Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi offered little in the way of movement never mind attacking threat. To say they were statues would be insulting to statues and yes I am taking into account Origi’s goal! The fact that the Croatian international, Dejan Lovren had to be replaced inside the first ten minutes by the Dutch youngster Ki-Jana Hoever due to injury didn't help matters. Hoever, who is only sixteen years old proved to be about the only positive in the game for Liverpool who offered very little from an attacking prospective. Despite a Liverpool equaliser they never looked like dominating at any stage and were caught out in the end by a fantastic Ruben Neves goal. Jurgen’s poor FA Cup record continues and people had begun to question is this the start of Liverpool’s blip?
Meanwhile Pep’s side grew from strength to strength after the win against Liverpool. The citizens dispatched Rotherham in style with a 7–0 drubbing which seen them safely through to the fourth round of the FA cup. Next up was Burton Albion who have done fantastically well to make the Semi-finals of the Carabao cup this season. Unfortunately for them they came up against a Manchester City side who seem to have hit their stride over the past few games. Despite a spirited fight from the Burton players they succumbed to a 9–0, yes 9–0 first leg hammering from a side who look simply unstoppable at the minute.
Liverpool managed to steady the ship against Brighton with a hard fought 1–0 away win last weekend- thanks to star man Mo Salah rescuing the day from the penalty spot. The Reds looked comfortable and in control for most of the match barring the odd moment but they never put the game to bed, making for a tense finish for players and fans alike. Taking all three points will certainly help to lift spirits around Melwood ahead of their game against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
City played Wolves on Monday night and with Nuno Espírito Santo’s men stealing a point at the Etihad back in August, Liverpool fans were hoping for another upset but sadly this wasn't the case. City dispatched Wolves in style with a 3–0 away win at Molineux thanks to a brace from Gabriel Jesus and an own goal courtesy of Wolves skipper Conor Coady.
As it stands Liverpool are four points clear of City heading into match-day 23 and it certainly looks like it will go to the wire this season. City hold an advantage of sorts as they have a squad of players with no shortage of Premier League winning experience meanwhile at Anfield, Klopp’s men have never tasted that success in a red shirt all though they do have plenty of players who have became accustomed to challenging for major honours. It will be interesting to see if Liverpool can ignore the stigma of not having lifted the Premier League Title and finally push through to achieve what the fans have been longing for. There is no doubt City will push them all the way and it will certainly make for a tense and exciting end to another great season.
