Liverpool have been crowned Premier League champions after thumping Tottenham 5-1 at a euphoric Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
The Reds have won their 20th English league title and second Premier League trophy.
In terms of winning English top division titles, they are now on par with Manchester United and are just four trophies away from matching their rivals’ total of 60.
The game was almost settled in the first half with goals from Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister, and Cody Gakpo, giving them a comfortable lead. Mohammed Salah’s 28th goal of the season and a Destiny Udogie own goal further solidified their victory.
Although Spurs managed to briefly take the lead early on through former Liverpool striker Dominic Solanke, they couldn’t withstand Liverpool’s dominance as the Reds quickly took control of the game.
And now they could be set for as many as four guards of honour should their remaining opponents wish it.
Liverpool are Premier League champions after thrashing Tottenham on Sunday afternoon
Reds players sprint on to the pitch at the full-time whistle confirms their status as champions
Arne Slot has won the Premier League title in his first season in English football, a rare feat
It will be just reward for an outstanding season which has seen Liverpool win 25 of their 34 Premier League matches, losing only two to Nottingham Forest and Fulham.
Slot, who took the reins from Jurgen Klopp ahead of the start of the season, has become just the fifth manager to win the Premier League in his first season in English football, taking his place alongside Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Manuel Pellegrini, and Antonio Conte.
He has been tipped for the LMA Manager of the Year award by Mail Sport’s Oliver Holt after taking to English football swimmingly.
A mammoth 26-game unbeaten run between September 21 and April 6 saw Liverpool pull well clear of Arsenal, who at best may have to settle for a third consecutive second-placed berth.
It is their first league title in five seasons – interrupting Manchester City’s record-shattering run of four on the spin – and will finally give fans a chance to celebrate properly at the ground, unlike their first during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Under Slot’s stewardship, the Reds could yet reach 95 points, which would make them the fifth-best title-winning team in Premier League history.
That’s all the more remarkable considering that clubs often struggle when moving on from a dynasty – Klopp’s exit after almost a decade left the possibility of a collapse.
Manchester United still haven’t won the league since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013, while Arsenal have yet to recover the glory days of Arsene Wenger’s first decade at the club.
Spearheaded by Mohamed Salah, they have only lost two Premier League games all season
Liverpool players and fans rejoice on Sunday during their emphatic victory over sorry Spurs
Salah’s superb season has seen him post the best numbers of his career for goals and assists
They had to celebrate in an empty Anfield in 2020 but it is much better this time around
Many pundits thought that just a top-four finish was aspirational for Liverpool, especially considering their quiet summer. Federico Chiesa was the only player to join the squad, while Giorgi Mamardashvili, signed from Valencia, will link up with his new team-mates this summer.
Slot’s success has been built on his resourcefulness, including squeezing a renewed wind out of their senior stars.
Mohamed Salah, aged 32 and armed with a new haircut, has been in the form of his life with a 28 goals and 18 assists in the Premier League – a record total of 46 for a 38-game season.
Virgil van Dijk, meanwhile, has recovered the sort of form that made him the fear of strikers across the land before his ACL injury in 2020, brought on by a horror challenge by Jordan Pickford.
Both have been rewarded handsomely with new two-year deals worth in the region of £400,000 per week.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s future is yet to be decided, though he increasingly looks poised to join Real Madrid when his contract expires in the summer. All the same, he will leave with his head held high after helping to ensure the Reds did not suffer another 30-year title drought.
The right-back, who has been with the Reds since he was six, celebrated jubilantly as he tore off his shirt after scoring in the 1-0 win at Leicester on Easter Sunday.
Elsewhere, Slot has improved the fortunes of players such as Ibrahima Konate, Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister, and Ryan Gravenberch.
Consistently prolific and tight at the back, Liverpool have scored some landmark victories along the way.
Salah and Virgil van Dijk have signed new deals in a major boost to the project going forward
Slot could hardly have made his predecessor Jurgen Klopp more proud after a stunning year
They looked like title contenders from the outset and have hardly put a foot wrong since
Next season they will hope to build on their success and amend the few failures, such as their collapse against PSG in the Champions League
The Reds have got the better of previous champions Manchester City twice this campaign
Slot quickly became a favourite when he led Liverpool to a 3-0 win at Manchester United in just his third league game in charge.
A 2-0 victory over Manchester City at home on December 1 – courtesy of goals from Gakpo and Salah – solidified the impression that the title might change hands.
There were times when it looked like the wheels might come off, with consecutive draws against Newcastle and Fulham in December betrayed a rare shakiness.
A 2-2 draw in that thunderous Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, where James Tarkowski’s 90th-minute equaliser preceded Curtis Jones and Arne Slot seeing red, also suggested the side still struggled under pressure.
But in a season where Liverpool have marked up wins with consistency – six in their last seven games – the occasional blip has been cause for little worry.
At one point it even looked as if they might secure a historic Quadruple – but defeats to Plymouth in the FA Cup, Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final, and PSG in the Champions League quashed those hopes in a brutal period between February and March.
