Liverpool’s rain-soaked, jubilant supporters called it with 90 seconds remaining of a statement win over Manchester City.
“We’re going to win the league” echoed around a sea of empty sky blue seats at Etihad Stadium, as Liverpool closed out the win that leaves them 11 points clear at the top of the table.
And they are right. Liverpool are going to win the league.
Head coach Arne Slot’s seamless transition from Jurgen Klopp will be rewarded with the prize Liverpool’s great old managers such as Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan coveted above all others, the “bread and butter” as they called it.
The 2-0 win here, bolted on to Arsenal’s loss at home to West Ham on Saturday, means that, although there can be thousands of words spent on dancing around the subject, this season’s title race is done and dusted.
Etihad Stadium has witnessed many title celebrations in recent seasons. This looked and sounded like another one. The difference being this was Liverpool’s fans chanting “hand it over” rather than the playing out of another addition to Pep Guardiola’s roll of honour.
The race may not be run mathematically and football can be a strange, unpredictable game. It is not, however, so strange and unpredictable that a remorseless Liverpool team who have lost only one league all season, at home to Nottingham Forest in September, will lose an 11-point advantage with only 11 matches left.
And seven of those games are at Anfield. The game is up for Arsenal. Their game in hand carries decreasing significance.
Liverpool can now afford some slip-ups, not that Slot will want that, and even if they do, Arsenal will have to win almost every game, something that looks beyond a side with a propensity to slip under pressure.
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