EPL's new era: A Reds dynasty

LONDON • Statistically, this is likely to be Liverpool's greatest league season, which for a club with 18 titles is no small achievement.

The only season that could conceivably beat this one came last year, when they did not win the Premier League despite amassing 97 points - a reminder statistics must always be considered in context.

But after their 2-0 home victory over Manchester United on Sunday night to make it 39 league games unbeaten, 13 league wins in a row and go 16 points clear at the top with a game in hand, there is a feeling of ascent beyond the everyday business of titles and Cups.

The Anfield faithful, who sang "We're going to win the league" with gusto, know their team have a shot at a genuine legacy season beyond a first title in 30 years.

As Jurgen Klopp pumped his fist following Mohamed Salah's stoppage-time strike to add to Virgil van Dijk's opener, there was a feeling for the first time of a step on the victory parade.

Should the European and world champions go on to win the league undefeated and surpass Arsenal's 49-game unbeaten streak, it will be hard to argue against the idea this is indeed the best one-off team of the Premier League era.

Common sense and human error dictate Liverpool must surely lose a league game somewhere, but there are only 16 of them left and they have found assorted ways to win.

This was their seventh successive clean sheet in the league, a new element of rigour for a team who looked to be a little bit vulnerable at one stage, but now have not conceded a goal in the Premier League since the first week of December.

It is that solidity that looks most ominous for every other champion team of the recent past and van Dijk is leading their charge.

United, the only team to take points off the hosts in the league this season, had a plan and did put up some resistance. They also had chances, most notably for Andreas Pereira and Anthony Martial.

Liverpool, though, were always in control after van Dijk's header, and could have had more as two first-half goals were chalked off, and Salah and Jordan Henderson both hit the post.

Points Liverpool have from their Premier League home games, two more than United have in total.

Goals Virgil van Dijk has scored since last season, the most by a Premier League defender.

Two years on from his £75 million (S$131.3 million) move from Southampton, van Dijk has been a transformative figure, playing every minute of their league campaign.

The Red Devils tried to copy Liverpool's example by paying Leicester £80 million for Harry Maguire last August.

The England defender, who van Dijk beat in the air for his goal, has not quite had the same impact at both ends, though, with United keeping just three clean sheets in the league.

Of van Dijk, who bagged his fourth league goal of the term, Trent Alexander-Arnold said: "He's probably one of the... if not the most prolific centre-half in the league.

"He's showed that he's probably the best centre-half in the world over the last 18 months and he showed that again."

While Klopp has continued to insist they "will not be part of that (title) party yet" and his focus was solely trained on their league trip to Wolves on Thursday night, pundit Jermaine Jenas, like others, feels his team are a dynasty in the making.

He told the BBC: "Liverpool look like they'll dominate as United did in the late 90s and early 2000s."

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