Day 20: Liverpool

It is the final day of our Premier League Christmas Countdown and today we are looking at the side that we think will win the top flight this season: Liverpool.

Many thought that this would be a season of transition for Liverpool, as they parted ways with head coach Jurgen Klopp and appointed Arne Slot as the man to take them forward, but a mixture of good performances and a drop off from the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal sees them in pole position this Christmas.

Wins Only

Liverpool’s season started off with two relatively simple games away against Ipswich and at home against Brentford. Even though both teams put up a fight, Slot’s men were able to gain three points in each to start the season perfectly.

Luis Diaz scores at Old Trafford for @LFC 🫶#MUNLIV #TheKickOff pic.twitter.com/njMnWxBJdn

— Premier League (@premierleague) September 1, 2024

Their first real test was an away game against Manchester United which, on paper, would have been a tight affair with most fans giving Liverpool the edge. In reality, it wasn’t close at all and was their most dominant win so far, going by the scoreline. Luis Diaz scored twice before half time and Mohamed Salah wrapped up the game early in the second half.

A First Defeat, But More Wins On The Way

Their first, and so far only, defeat of the season came after the September international break when they hosted Nottingham Forest. Before this match, Forest were undefeated but had only played the likes of Bournemouth, Southampton and Wolves, so this 1-0 win was a surprise even to their own fans.

Hudson Odoi has ended Liverpool’s unbeaten streak. #LIVNFO pic.twitter.com/tSV2ejsxug

— Lina (@CFCLina) September 14, 2024

They finished September with wins over Bournemouth and Wolves, which saw them stand alone at the top of the table. Wolves put up a bit of a fight in that game, but were only allowed to because of Liverpool’s lack of clinicality. The winner came from the penalty spot as Salah sent Sam Johnstone the wrong way.

October saw more wins over Crystal Palace and Chelsea, both by a single goal margin. Before their only loss in the league this season, Liverpool were winning by large margins, but that slowed down afterwards. Liverpool dominated the Eagles but only won 1-0, but they had fewer chances against Chelsea and won 2-1.

Unbeatable

Next up was Arsenal, who were not in the best shape having lost to Bournemouth the week before. The game finished 2-2 which was probably a fair representation of the balance of play, but it marked just the second time that they had dropped points this season.

Mohamed Salah against the big 6 this season:

City: Goal + Assist
Chelsea: Goal + Assist
United: Goal + 2 Assists
Spurs: 2 Goals + 2 Assists
Arsenal: Goal

BIG GAME PLAYER. 🇪🇬👑 pic.twitter.com/nLT7XUdUUb

— Samuel (@SamueILFC) December 22, 2024

November was a perfect month for Liverpool, as not only did they win all three games in the Premier League, but they also beat Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid in the Champions League without conceding.

Their Premier League wins came against Brighton, who themselves were having a good season, Aston Villa and bottom side Southampton. The Saints, despite their wretched form, probably gave the Reds the best game out of the three sides, as Salah had to score an 83rd minute penalty to give his side a 3-2 win.

Festive Football Feasts

December has been an incredible month for football and Liverpool have remained at the top of the table throughout. They started with a 2-0 home win over Manchester City. The match appeared easy for the Reds as City were incredibly poor, as they have been for much of the season. Cody Gakpo gave the hosts the lead in the first half before Salah converted another penalty to secure three points.

✅ Goal against Real Madrid
✅ Goal against Manchester City

Cody Gakpo is a big game player 💥 pic.twitter.com/UfJquJEQh6

— Fede (@lfc_fede) December 1, 2024

Two entertaining draws followed, with a postponed Merseyside Derby sandwiched in between. Newcastle put up a good fight in their 3-3 draw while Fulham also provided a Christmas treat with a 2-2 draw. However, despite these goal-fests, an even more extraordinary Christmas treat was just round the corner. This weekend, Liverpool headed to London to face Tottenham, and the match ended 6-3 to the Reds, sending them four points clear at the top of the table.

Player of the Season

From my article, I think you can tell who has been Liverpool’s best player this season, as he is every season. In just 16 games this season, Mohamed Salah has 15 goals and 11 assists. He is leading the Premier League in both stats this season, having taken over from Erling Haaland and Bukayo Saka respectively following Liverpool’s demolition of Tottenham. The 32-year-old’s future at Anfield is in question as his contract runs out at the end of the season.

Season Rank: A

End of Season Prediction: 1st

Check out our Christmas Countdown article from yesterday.