Are Liverpool still in the title race?
Virgil van Dijk certainly thinks so.
Earlier this week, the Dutchman told doubters that they “better stay home” as the Reds look to push runaway leaders Manchester City all the way this season.
Speaking to liverpoolfc.com, the Dutchman conceded that Pep Guardiola’s men are a “fantastic” side but noted that there is still plenty to play for.
"There's no point in this phase of the season to look too much at others. We have full focus on ourselves and that's what we will do,” said the centre-back.
He added: "If anyone wouldn't believe then they better stay home, in my opinion. There's so many points still to collect, there's so many games to play, there's so many cups that we're involved in. Anything can happen.”
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The last few weeks have signalled something of a changing of the tide for Liverpool. After a disappointing festive period, which saw Jurgen Klopp’s men drop points in three consecutive league games, the prospect of facing a month without Sadio Mane, Naby Keita, and talismanic top scorer Mohamed Salah, seemed an ominous one.
However, the Reds went unbeaten in their five games without the African trio.
And a sense of gathering momentum has helped Klopp’s side to banish the January blues.
An imperious performance at the Emirates last Thursday secured Liverpool a place at Wembley in February’s Carabao Cup Final, whilst back-to-back league wins against Brentford and Crystal Palace have reignited a glimmer of hope in the title race.
That beacon of hope burns all the brighter after City’s air of infallibility was dented by their 1-1 draw with Southampton on Saturday.
Ralf Hasenhuttl’s men were the first side to take points from the reigning champions since Crystal Palace in October, and the weekend’s stumble has prompted manager Pep Guardiola to declare the fight for the championship far from over.
“The title race is not over,” the 51-year-old said after Saturday’s result.
“You said, ‘Oh the Premier League is over,’ now people will realise it’s not over. That is good for our side.”
Liverpool currently sit second in the Premier League table, nine points behind Guardiola’s men with a game in hand.
But just how realistic are the Reds’ prospects of taking City’s crown?
Strikingly, it’s the Citizens who have the most notable track record of dashing Liverpool’s title hopes in the Premier League era.
In the 2013/14 season, City were seven points adrift of Brendan Rodgers’ men after the Reds beat them 3-2 at Anfield in April. However, Gerrard’s infamous slip against Chelsea and Liverpool’s subsequent capitulation away to Crystal Palace opened the door for Pellegrini’s side to obliterate their lead and win the title by just two points.
Four years later, in January 2018, the Reds sat at the summit of the Premier League table with a chance to extend the gap between themselves and City to 10 points should they defeat Guardiola’s men at the Etihad.
Jurgen Klopp’s side failed to capitalise on the opportunity, suffering their only league defeat of the season as goals from Sergio Aguero and Leroy Sane secured a 2-1 victory for the Citizens.
Thus ensued a nail-biting race to the finish, with the two sides pushing each other to near perfection over the final few months of the season.
However, the Reds’ goalless draw at Goodison in March 2019 took the race out of their hands and City went on to win the league by a single point, pushing Liverpool’s title hunt into a 30 th year.
On the other side of Manchester, United also have previous in falling foul of a City comeback. In 2012, the Red Devils were eight points clear with nine games of the season left to go.
But despite City boss Roberto Mancini himself declaring that the title belonged to the red half of Manchester, Ferguson’s men blew their lead at the top, setting up one of the most dramatic ends to a season in Premier League history.
Aguero’s 94 th minute winner against QPR on the final day left Old Trafford stunned as the Citizens went on to claim only their third league title at the expense of their local rivals.
It was not the first time United had let a lead slip. In the 1997/98 season, Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal had trailed the Red Devils by 11 points with just 9 games remaining.
The Gunners’ rich vein of form in the last two months of the season saw them triumph over United, winning the title by a single point.
Ferguson’s side seemed to have failed to heed the lessons of their own title successes. Just two years before their Arsenal collapse, in January 1996, the Manchester club were 12 points behind leaders Newcastle United.
As the season neared its climax though, United’s gained momentum, winning 13 of their last 15 games to help them overcome the deficit and pip the Magpies to the Premier League trophy.
And so, with those memorable title comebacks in mind, it would certainly seem premature for Liverpool to give up hope.
Although the Reds will need to be at their best to stand a chance of toppling City, fans should believe that – as Virgil van Dijk said - anything can happen.
