Viewed through the narrow lens of the final three games, this season could quite easily be deemed a failure for Liverpool. After all, the Merseysiders sat top of the table and had the destiny of the Premier League title in their own hands, but they threw it away thanks to a crushing defeat at home to Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea and an embarrassing 3-3 draw against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, which felt more like a defeat thanks to both the nature of the match and the fact that failing to pick up three points put Manchester City back in the driving seat in the title race.
However, viewed through the wide angle lens of the season as a whole, nobody can deny that this season has been a phenomenally successful one of huge progress for Rodgers’ Reds. Not only was it the first time that Liverpool have mounted a serious title challenge in five years, it was also the first time that the Reds have entered the final day of the Premier League season still having a mathematical chance of making their dreams a reality and claiming their much longed for 19th League title.
Sadly, it wasn’t to be, as Manchester City beat West Ham at the Etihad on the last day of the season to secure their second title in three seasons. Nonetheless, Liverpool’s fantastic League finish and the manner in which they climbed the table from seventh the season before to second at the end of 2013/2014 have given Kopites ample reason to be satisfied with this season and to look forward to the next one with eager anticipation, hoping that they can go one better next time around.
Way back in August at the start of the season, the aim of the campaign was to achieve Champions League qualification, although even a top four finish was deemed a tough task by many thanks to Tottenham’s sizeable spending and the perceived strength of the usual suspects in the title race. I personally would have been pleased with narrowly missing out on the Champions League and finishing fifth, as long as the Reds were pushing for fourth right up until the end. A season similar to the one Everton enjoyed would have represented progress after failing to qualify for European football at all in 2012/2013.
As it turned out, not being in the Europa League proved a blessing in disguise for Liverpool, as it meant they avoided the competition’s dreaded Thursday night fixtures and therefore often had a week to recover between Premier League fixtures, keeping them fresh and relatively injury free throughout the season.
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| Mignolet was the hero on the opening day |
At the other end of the pitch, however, Liverpool’s attack was going goal crazy on the way to a simply stunning total of 101 League goals. Luis Suarez returned from suspension at the end of September and scored twice on his return to Premier League football in a 3-1 win versus Sunderland. The Uruguayan went on to score another 29 times, breaking numerous records and earning both the PFA Player of the Year and the Football Writers’ Player of the Year Awards in the process. The other goal scorer at the Stadium of Light that Sunday teatime was Daniel Sturridge, who wasn’t quite as prolific as his strike partner, netting a mere 24 goals, 21 of which came in the League.
Liverpool’s encouraging run of good form during the first half of the season, which included a memorable five-goal thrashing of Spurs at historic bogey ground White Hart Lane, came to an end at Christmas time, as two 2-1 defeats in the space of four days away from home to title rivals City and Chelsea dampened Kopites’ festive cheer. On both occasions, the Reds deserved at least a point and suffered as a result of horrendous officiating. It was arguably primarily due to bad luck that Liverpool finished 2013 outside of the top four.
The Reds dusted themselves off, though, and produced a second half of the season that will live long in the memory. Remaining undefeated in the League in 2014 until the middle of April, Liverpool embarked on a breath-taking 11 game winning run, which began in style with a 5-1 victory over a shell-shocked Arsenal at Anfield. The Gunners, who were top of the table at the time, were blown away during a simply unbelievable opening 20 minutes, in which two goals from Skrtel and strikes from Sterling and Sturridge put Wenger’s men to the sword.
Arsenal got their revenge eight days later, knocking the Reds out of the FA Cup at the fifth round stage, but, with no distractions from cup competitions left, Liverpool could now concentrate all their attention on attaining number 19. They went mighty close to miraculously jumping from seventh to first in one season.
Schadenfreude is a strong emotion that football fans often feel and that was certainly the case for Kopites this season. The woes of bitter rivals Manchester United under the managerial reign of ex-Everton boss David Moyes were a source of constant amusement for Reds supporters throughout the campaign, and their joy abounded all the more when the Mancs were thoroughly beaten 3-0 at Old Trafford thanks in no small part to a brace of spot kicks from Gerrard, who missed a third spot kick to squander the chance to become the first player to convert a hat-trick of penalties in a Premier League match.
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| Liverpool fans love seeing Stevie kiss the camera at Old Trafford |
City’s games in hand meant they were always in the mix, though, and made it essential that Liverpool defeated them when they arrived at Anfield in the middle of April. Liverpool had the hallmark of champions during a roller-coaster game in which they threw away a two-goal lead but, thankfully, Philippe Coutinho’s low strike sealed a vital win, which made the Merseysiders favourites in the title race for the first time.
With the pressure now on them as they led the pack in the title chase, Gerrard screamed “we don’t let this slip” at his teammates in the immediate aftermath of the City win. It proved to be a case of famous last words, as Liverpool’s skipper suffered a cruel twist of fate when Mourinho’s Chelsea came to town two weeks later.
The irony was painful and it was difficult to watch as Gerrard slipped on the stroke of half time, allowing Demba Ba to run through on goal and give the Blues the crucial opening goal. Mourinho refused to move his parked bus in the second half and the initiative in the title race was handed back to the Citizens.
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| Was this the moment the title was lost? |
The disappointment was deep, but Kopites rightly remain Red and Proud.
At the end of the day, there are so many positives to take from last season and very few negatives. The Reds are way ahead of schedule in terms of their progress and development as a side under the stewardship of Brendan Rodgers and the future is looking bright for the club. They finally have settled ownership, with FSG in it for the long haul, and a brilliant young manager in charge of an exciting team packed full of attacking talent and producing the type of free flowing passing football that is reminiscent of the glory years at Anfield.
I can’t wait to see them compete in the Champions League and challenge for the title again next season.
YNWA
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