NOW THE COMPARISONS can stop.
At least for this season.
Such has been Liverpool’s dominance in the Premier League, talk turned to their place in the pantheon of British football’s finest club teams.
Mostly because there was not much else to discuss.
As they stretched their lead at the top into double digits and swatted all rivals aside – until Watford’s 3-0 shock at the weekend – that is where the course of the conversation was directed.
Mostly by Sky Sports.
Jamie Carragher and Roy Keane pored over combined XIs for Jurgen Klopp’s current crop and Alex Ferguson’s historic Treble winners of 1999 during a recent edition of Monday Night Football.
Sky then continued the debate when Gary Neville was in studio with the former Liverpool captain.
Just how good are this Liverpool side?
They have been exceptional.
The have been thrilling.
They have been courageous.
They have been relentless.
They just haven’t been good enough to match Arsenal’s unbeaten Premier League campaign of 2003/04 and now, after suffering their second defeat in four days, they will not be good enough to replicate The Treble season of Manchester United in 1999.
Liverpool are the Premier League champions-elect, of course, and their fans will rightly celebrate that triumph like no other once they eventually get over the line.
But the talk of them on a par with Alex Ferguson’s Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League winners has proven to be woefully premature.
Perhaps Klopp will eventually find the road towards the sort of glory which immortalised Ferguson.
Getting there will be of little concern to the German right now, as he will be left wondering how a group of players that have, at times, looked invincible, have now lost three of their last four games in three different competitions.
The loss a Vicarage Road will be of little consequence in the title race but did end their unbeaten league campaign.
This 2-0 defeat at the hands of Chelsea, inspired by 18-year-old midfielder Billy Gilmour (who wasn’t even born when United won that Treble), means there won’t even be a domestic Double.
And with Atletico Madrid arriving on Merseyside next week protecting a 1-0 lead from the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, Klopp’s men face a battle to retain the European crown they claimed last season.
Until these last few weeks Liverpool looked utterly dominant.
All of a sudden there are question marks.
Their wobbles are by no means terminal, of course, but it’s the sort of blip that shatters the illusion of invincibility.
Anfield will celebrate a 19th league title in the coming weeks and with Klopp at the helm you can be sure the determination will be there to build on that. Everything is set up as such and, should they rally to dump Atletico out next Wednesday, their season will benefit from a surge of positivity.
But this was Chelsea’s night.
Willian’s fierce shot from the edge of the box bounced of the midriff of Liverpool stand-in goalkeeper Adrian and trickled over the line. It came after Fabinho, who looked ponderous and off the pace all night, lost possession.
The Brazilian was laboured and ineffective – Jordan Henderson’s absence only exacerbated as a result – and in comparison to the sprightly, confident Gilmour, the Liverpool midfielder was a shell of his usual self.
Victory for Chelsea was confirmed in a way which summed up just how out of sorts Liverpool have become.
Virgil Van Dijk, their imperious leader, mistimed a simple header into the path of Ross Barkley. The England international – an Evertonian, to boot – drove at goal from inside his own half.
Fabinho trailed behind unable to prevent the counter.
Joe Gomez was hesitant, backing off until Barkley eventually had sight of goal from 25 yards. He released his shot – using the defender’s body as a decoy – and before Adrian knew it the ball was in the net.
There was still 25 minutes remaining but Liverpool never looked like producing a late rally.
Such resilience has been the calling card of their season, one which will see them end their 30-year wait for the league trophy. But there will still be questions about their place among the true greats.
