The 2018/19 English Premier League has been fascinating from start to finish. The newly promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers have  made a name for themselves all over Europe. Chelsea has been subpar under new manager Maurizio Sarri, yet still has a chance to finish in the top four and secure a place in the Champions League next season. Manchester United and Arsenal have been enjoying success in European competitions, but have lacked consistency in the domestic league.

Perhaps most standing out this season, though, has been the race at the top of the table. Liverpool and Manchester City have been the clear top two teams in the league this year, currently sitting only two points apart from each other at the top of the table. Each match the two teams play carries that much more weight, knowing that dropped points could be catastrophic in the title race. With very few games left in the season, one loss or draw could signal the end of their seasons’ hopes.

Liverpool has never won the Premier League, despite historically enjoying success in European competition. They have won the UEFA Champions League five times according to Liverpool Echo, most recently in 2005. Although they have been crowned the best team in Europe on five occasions, they have never been able to win England’s domestic league since its inauguration in 1992.

Liverpool’s Premier League luck can be summed up quite well by a match on April 27, 2014. According to BBC Sport, sitting at the top of the table with three fixtures left in the season, Liverpool faced Chelsea at home with a chance to maintain its three point lead over Manchester City in the League. Unfortunately for Liverpool, they lost the game 2-0, which ended its eleven match win streak and ultimately cost them the title. However, what stands out is not just that they lost the game, but how they lost the game. In the middle of the first half, club legend Steven Gerrard had the ball at midfield, but then slipped, allowing the ball to find its way right to Chelsea forward Demba Ba, who scored and made it 1-0. From there, Liverpool could not recover.

That season, Liverpool dominated opponents by scoring early and putting games to bed in the first half. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho stopped the early start by employing defensive, “park the bus” tactics to counteract Liverpool’s fast-paced offense. It frustrated the Reds and carried Chelsea to victory. The “slip” by Gerrard has become somewhat of a footballing meme. It is a symbol for Liverpool’s failure to win a Premier League title and an easy way for fans of other teams to make fun of the team. Despite arguably being the best player in Liverpool’s history, many soccer fans will only remember him for that.              

The Liverpool players are certainly aware of their history when it comes to lacking a Premier League title, which could be putting even more pressure on the team to lift that weight off the club’s shoulders. The pressure could be used as positive motivation, but some feel as though the expectations will get to the players. Senior Gage Howard said that knowledge of the history is “huge; they are bound to slip up.” Senior Elodie Hutson agreed: “It definitely has an effect on the players, I think they are going to choke” she said. Sophomore Jack Smith believes the history does not have great bearing on the players. “I do not think [the history] does that much; they should not be worried about that.”

Currently, Liverpool has five games left, while Manchester City has four remaining. The Reds play Cardiff, Huddersfield, Newcastle and Wolves. The Citizens have Tottenham, Manchester United, Burnley, Leicester and Brighton. Junior George Calvert believes that Liverpool’s fixtures are considerably easier than Manchester City’s. “[Manchester] United has gotten a lot better and Spurs (Tottenham) is always a good match. The only match I could see Liverpool losing is when they go away to Newcastle, which can be a difficult place to get three points,” says Calvert. Freshman Tanner Gerasi agreed: “City has it much harder off. I do not really see a team on Liverpool’s schedule that should give them too much trouble.”

Although Manchester City has a difficult last few games, it has been dominating the Premier League since the turn of the new year. According to Sky Sports, since a January 29 loss to Newcastle, they have pulled off ten league wins in a row. Liverpool was cruising around late December, at some points even holding a league lead of up to ten points.

But, the title race flipped on its head on January 3, as Liverpool travelled to Manchester to face their biggest test of the season. According to The Guardian, the Reds were up seven points going in to the game, which made it a must win game for City to keep pace in the title race. The Citizens delivered and won 2-1, bridging the gap between the teams to four points.

Many are now confident that, with its current form along with being the defending champions, nothing will stop Manchester City from winning the title. “They have experience and they know how to handle the pressure and close out a winning year, unlike Liverpool. Come on you citizens,” said Howard. Junior Emma Spiegel thought that “They should not get too in their heads about being the defending champs. It could come back to hurt them.” Freshman Lauren Lailey was also hesitant, thinking that, “You have to be confident, but not cocky. If you don’t keep working, another team could easily pass you.”

As the season comes to a close, fans will be sitting on the edges of their seats hoping that their team can get enough points to secure the position they want. Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United will be scrambling for third and fourth place for Champions League spots. Cardiff and Brighton will be battling for the final spot of safety, as neither wants to face the dreaded relegation to England’s second division, The Championship. As entertaining as the title race has already been, it is bound to get even better as the season comes to a close.