OPINION
If Liverpool miss out on the title to Manchester City this season they will break a record for gaining the most amount of points in a 38-game Premier League season and failing to win the league.
The Reds have already surpassed the total of 86 points, which both themselves in the 2008/09 season and Tottenham in the 2016/17 season claimed whilst finishing runners-up.
Liverpool head into their final three Premier League matches, against Huddersfield Town, Newcastle United and Wolves, knowing that they realistically will need to win all of them. Even if Jurgen Klopp’s side manage to win those matches they will still be relying on Manchester City to drop points in one of their final fixtures.
If both Liverpool and Manchester City manage to win their final three matches, the Reds will finish on 97 points and City will finish on 98 points. Both of those points totals would surpass Chelsea’s total of 95 points achieved in the 2004/05 season, which currently stands as the second highest points total in Premier League history.
Only one side in Premier League history, Manchester City with 100 last season, have collected more than the potential 97 points Liverpool could collect this campaign. Were Liverpool to win that many points and not win the league title it would surely place them as the greatest team, and arguably the most unfortunate team, to not win the Premier League title in a 38-game season.
Liverpool deserve credit for being able to push Manchester City, who have largely maintained the same standards that saw them ease to the title last season, and take the title race down to the last three matches of the season.
Whichever team out of Manchester City or Liverpool go on to lift the Premier League title in May, the runners-up can be comforted by the fact that they have helped to produce a title race unlike any other in Premier League history, a race that both sides are arguably equally worthy winners of.
