Liverpool have amassed their third-highest points tally in the first 10 matches of a Premier League season, following a superb start to the campaign.
Saturday’s 4-2 win at Crystal Palace was another major statement of intent by the Reds, who currently lie level with Man City and Arsenal at the top of the table, on 23 points.
Having lost 2-0 at Burnley in just their second game of the season, Liverpool have responded magnificently, winning six and drawing two of their eight league games since.
This is despite having a harder start than any of their top-four rivals, with trips to Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea already hurdled.
Jurgen Klopp‘s side picked up seven points from those games, and the 0-0 draw at home Man United was far from disastrous, if a little flat.
Only twice before in the Premier League era have the Reds picked up more points from their first 10 games, highlighting just what a healthy position they find themselves in.
The first of those was in 2002/03, when Gerard Houllier’s team won seven and drew three, leaving them a point better off than this current Liverpool side.
Unfortunately, they failed to kick on that season, eventually finishing fifth and missing out on Champions League football, after a defeat by Chelsea on the final day.
It is, perhaps, a warning to those getting a little too carried away about the Reds’ 2016/17 season to date.
2008/09 saw Liverpool on a formidable 26 points after 10 games, as Rafa Benitez created a superb side containing a spine of Pepe Reina, Jamie Carragher, Javier Mascherano, Xabi Alonso, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres.
It was a season that should have seen Benitez’s men lift the title, but some sloppy draws at home were fatal, and they had to settle for a second-placed finish, behind United.
Time will tell as to whether Liverpool can go one better this time around, but what cannot be denied is that they look primed for a title challenge of some kind.
With an easier run of fixtures to look forward to between now and the visit of Man City on New Year’s Eve, this is a real opportunity for the Reds to make their league position even stronger in the coming weeks.
Fan Comments