Liverpool's Victory Over Southampton Leaves City Behind

Liverpool’s recent 3-2 victory over Southampton has given them an eight-point lead at the top, a position only three other teams have held after 12 matches. The last time a team held such a lead, Manchester United went on to win the 1993-94 title. Similarly, Manchester City in 2017-18 and Liverpool in 2019-20 both led by eight points and claimed the title that season.

With 31 points from 12 games, Liverpool has matched or exceeded the points tally of only 10 teams in Premier League history at this stage and eight of those teams went on to become champions. The current state of affairs looks promising especially with City on a five-match losing streak. If Liverpool beats City at Anfield this Sunday, they could extend their lead to 11 points, a gap that only three teams have closed in Premier League history.

However, while Liverpool’s strong form is undeniable, they have had a relatively favorable start with Opta ranking their opening 10 fixtures as the sixth easiest. Manchester City and Arsenal still have a chance, sitting eight and nine points behind respectively. Moreover, history shows that bigger leads have been overturned before.

Arsenal made a remarkable recovery from 13 points behind in the 1997-98 season to win the title while Manchester United staged comebacks from 12 points behind in the 1995-96 season and 10 points behind in several other campaigns. While Liverpool’s position is enviable, City and Arsenal will remain hopeful with 26 matches still left to play in the season.