As 2022 rolled in, Liverpool's Premier League title dream looked further away than ever.
Ending a year of fluctuating fortunes in 2021 with defeat at Leicester, the Reds then headed to Chelsea for one of the toughest away games of the campaign without Alisson Becker, Joel Matip or Thiago Alcantara.
A self-isolating Jurgen Klopp was also absent at Stamford Bridge as the Reds were pegged back from 2-0 up and forced to settle for just a point. As Liverpool headed back north from the capital on January 2, an 11-point deficit looked like the impossible task against a Manchester City side who had taken 33 points from their previous 11 games.
