Liverpool Football Club is one of the most famous institutions in the world. The men from Merseyside have earned a massive reputation for winning silverware throughout their history. Not only are they one of the most successful teams in England, but also in the European game.
Only north west neighbours Manchester United has been crowned English champions more than the Reds, who have won the title on 19 occasions. Liverpool has also won the European Cup/Champions League on six occasions.
An English top-flight title drought
Despite Liverpool’s success throughout their history, there was a massive gap between their 18th and 19th English top-flight titles. Liverpool claimed the title in season 1989/90 when the league was still in the English First Division era.
Then they had to wait until season 2019/20 to win their first-ever Premier League title. It was an almost torturous wait for everybody at the club, especially as bitter rivals Manchester United had become something of a dominant force in the new era of the English top flight.
The long wait is over
After waiting three decades for an English top-flight title, Liverpool, under the brilliant coaching of German head coach Jurgen Klopp, finally sealed their maiden Premier League title in 2020, which, as we all know, is now a year that nobody will ever forget.
The Reds’ title victory was not a surprise, as just a season earlier, they had finished as Premier League runners-up, claiming an incredible 97 points, a Premier League record for a team that had failed to be crowned champions. Unfortunately for Liverpool, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City had garnered 98 points to pip them to the title.
Liverpool hit the ground running in their title-winning campaign, though, as they kicked off their campaign with eight straight league victories, including a 3-1 win at Anfield over reigning champions City, which put the men from Merseyside nine clubs clear of Guardiola’s team.
Liverpool was relentless in the campaign, breaking all sorts of records, including equalling the record for most consecutive victories, which stood at 18, and setting a new record for consecutive home victories, as they won 24 straight league games at Anfield. The Reds also claimed the Premier League earlier than any other team and also, due to the global pandemic, later than any other team.
The Reds were gunning for an invincible league season, too, a feat achieved by only two teams in the history of English top-flight, Arsenal and Preston, as Klopp’s team went 27 league matches unbeaten, only to suffer a surprise defeat by Watford in February.
Awards won reflected the team’s achievement
Liverpool’s dominance in the season was reflected by the number of awards picked up by the club’s personnel. Klopp picked up the Premier League Manager of the Season.
𝑮𝑬𝑻 𝑰𝑵, 𝑩𝑶𝑺𝑺!
JĂĽrgen Klopp has been named @premierleague Manager of the Season for 2019/20 đź‘Ź
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 15, 2020
Meanwhile, captain Jordan Henderson claimed the FWA Footballer of the Year Award, while Senegalese star Sadio Mane picked up the PFA version of the award. Trent Alexander-Arnold also won the Young Player of the Year award.
The Premier Team of the Year was also littered with Reds players, with Alexander-Arnold, Henderson and Mane joined by teammates Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson in the 11.
Won in unfortunate circumstances
Despite their sensational season, Liverpool’s 19th English title was overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, the Premier League campaign was put on hold as more and more football personnel suffered from the virus.
LIVERPOOL LIFT THE PREMIER LEAGUE TROPHY FOR THE FIRST TIME! 🏆 @ESPNFC pic.twitter.com/omGzsN84ZC
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 22, 2020
The Premier League didn’t return until June, and due to a substantial lead at the top of the table, Liverpool were crowned as English champions the same month. Unfortunately for the Reds, they lifted the trophy in an empty stadium.
Unlike when the team had won trophies in the past, there was no big influx of people to the city to celebrate their title triumph or a bus parade for fans. However, the unique circumstances in which the title was won should not take away anything from the team’s achievements.
Unable to repeat the feat (yet)
Liverpool’s efforts to win the title since that maiden Premier League triumph have seen them finish third, second, and fifth place in the English top-flight table. In season 2021/22, Klopp’s team were once again beaten to the title by Manchester City on the last day of the Premier League campaign.
A disappointing fifth place followed the second-place finish in season 2022/23. The team that won the title in 2020 has slowly been rebuilt, with key players such as Henderson and Mane heading to pastures new.
At the time of writing, Liverpool has made a bright start to the 2023/24 campaign, with new recruits adding to the excitement around the club. Only time will tell whether they can challenge for the title in the near future. However, at least fans have the 2019/20 season to look back on with pride, even if the circumstances towards the end of the campaign slightly overshadowed the title triumph.