Liverpool’s season has been littered with spectacular statistics, from individual heroics to team brilliance.
Jurgen Klopp‘s side have one more match to look forward to in 2018/19, with the Champions League final against Tottenham a mouthwatering affair.
The Reds’ Premier League campaign concluded with a second-place finish on Sunday – somewhat harsh, considering a club record of 97 points was achieved.
This has been a season to remember, though, with victory in Madrid turning it from great into legendary, as Klopp continues to work wonders in the Anfield hot-seat.
Here are 10 stats that highlight what a special year it has been (so far).
Record-Breaking Trent
Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s rise at Liverpool has been astonishing, maturing from young hopeful to one of Europe’s most influential right-backs.
White there is still some improving to do in a defensive sense, the 20-year-old’s impact in the attacking third has been unrivalled.
Alexander-Arnold’s inch-perfect assist for Sadio Mane in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Wolves took his total to the season to 12 in the league.
No defender in Premier League history has recorded more assists in a single campaign, highlighting just how good the local hero has been.
Incidentally, the equally brilliant Andy Robertson got 11, as he and Alexander-Arnold strengthen their case for being club football’s best full-back pairing.
Alisson the Clean Sheet King
The importance of having a world-class goalkeeper has been highlighted to perfection by Liverpool, who have won just one trophy since Pepe Reina’s prime.
Alisson‘s arrival was significant when he joined from Roma last summer and he has been worth every penny, with few ‘keepers in the world superior.
It was fitting that the 26-year-old finished the season with the Premier League Golden Glove award in his hands, having kept 21 clean sheets in 38 appearances—the most since Ray Clemence (28) in 1978/79.
Alisson also recorded the highest save percentage in the division, coming in at 77.5 percent.
Monstrous Van Dijk
Virgil van Dijk has been Klopp’s most significant signing as Liverpool manager, despite the influence of Mohamed Salah, Mane, Alisson and others.
His PFA Player of the Year award triumph was richly deserved and he played every single minute of the Reds’ Premier League campaign.
Most remarkably, Van Dijk was not dribbled past a single time by an account, outlining what an imperious centre-back he is.
It is a statistic that almost defies logic, with one footrace up against the Usain Bolt-esque Adama Traore of Wolves a stand-out moment in relation to the stat.
Unbreachable Kop End
Alisson and Van Dijk have helped turn Liverpool into one of the most rock-solid defences in Europe, with only 22 goals conceded in the league all season.
Incredibly, the Reds only allowed six opposition players to score in front of the Kop, in a total of 26 matches in all competitions.
The first to find the net was Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe in September, whose effort was in vain in a 3-2 defeat.
Jesse Lingard, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Andros Townsend, Harry Maguire and Ashley Westwood were the others—what a defensive unit Liverpool have become.
Narrowing the Gap on City
Rival supporters have predictably spent their time mocking Liverpool’s latest runner-up status, but they know deep down what a great effort this has been.
The progress made this season has been unbelievable, shown by how much Klopp’s side have narrowed the gap on a once-in-a-generation City team.
In 2017/18, Liverpool (75) finished 25 points adrift of their rivals (100), but while the champions got two fewer this time around, the Reds got 22 more.
They should be earning endless plaudits for even making this a title race—one of the best in English football history, in fact.
Mane Deserving of Outright Golden Boot?
Mane’s brilliance as a footballer seems to go under the radar on occasions, but few players in the world have been better in 2019.
The Senegalese’s season as a whole has been unstoppable and it concluded with him sharing the Golden Boot with Salah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
While the trio all scored 22 league goals, Mane’s efforts felt particularly significant because he didn’t score a single penalty.
Salah and Aubameyang were both afforded that luxury, and although spot-kicks still have to be scored, it is hard to argue against Mane being the league’s most potent goalscorer.
He was also the only player to score five or more times with his left foot, right foot and head.
Fortress Anfield Continues
It is common knowledge that Klopp promised to make Anfield a fortress again, following years of opponents taking regular points off Liverpool there.
The turnaround has been increasingly impressive as the German’s tenure has gone on and a 29-year record has now been matched.
The Reds are unbeaten in the last two league campaigns at home, which hasn’t been achieved since 1979/80.
The last league defeat there came against Crystal Palace in April 2017, after the Eagles won 2-1, meaning it is 40 games unbeaten since then.
Typical Liverpool Misfortune
The 97 points that Liverpool finished with should not be treated as a trophy, as some are accusing Reds supporters of doing, but it is an achievement to be proud of.
Unfortunately for them, they have come up against a City side even more relentless, but it doesn’t feel fair that they haven’t been crowned champions.
Liverpool have earned more points than 116 of the previous 119 English champions, which shows just how remarkable their efforts have been.
Sometimes football simply isn’t fair.
European Knockout Masters
Liverpool’s 4-0 win over Barcelona will be remembered forever as one of the great Anfield nights, as Klopp pulled off a Champions League miracle.
It didn’t look like it after the first leg at the Nou Camp, but the Reds boss has kept up an amazing record in European knockout ties since taking charge in October 2015.
In all three European campaigns—there wasn’t one in 2016/17—Klopp has reached the final, once in the Europa League and twice in the Champions League.
While the two finals so far have not gone to plan, it means Liverpool haven’t lost a single two-legged tie under Klopp’s stewardship.
Here’s hoping the 51-year-old finally gets over the line and wins his first piece of Anfield silverware in Madrid next month.
The Liverpool-United Gulf in Class
It wouldn’t be right if we didn’t touch upon Man United‘s dismal season and how much the gap between themselves and Liverpool has grown.
While the Reds continue to thrive under Klopp and cement their place as one of Europe’s top two sides, their biggest rivals finished sixth and are in disarray.
Liverpool (97) ended up finishing 31 points ahead of United (66), which while eye-opening in itself, doesn’t even tell the whole story.
Hilariously, there was a bigger points difference between the pair than there was between United and 17th-place Brighton (36).
The thought of that happening a decade ago was utterly unthinkable—long may it continue.
