Liverpool became champions in England’s top flight on Thursday night when Manchester City slipped up against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. It ended a three-decade long wait for the Reds and set a new record in England’s top flight for matches remaining with the title secured.
While few believed that Jurgen Klopp’s men would suffer such a cataclysmic catastrophe as failing to win the EPL title, it was still possible for them to finish second – until last night, of course.
With seven games left to play, Liverpool beat the previous best of five fixtures remaining for mathematically securing the title. That was shared by Manchester United (1907-08 and 2000-01) Everton (1984-85) and Manchester City more recently in 2017-18.
It’s been one heck of a ride for the Reds.
Their impressive feat, however, is still one short of the all-time best in European top-flight football. Paris Saint Germain holds that honour form their title win in 2015-16. PSG secured their fourth consecutive French Ligue 1 title with eight games to spare on that occasion.
Below are the other teams on the list. Note: Where there are teams who share the record, for the sake of the graphic, only the most recent team to achieve the feat is listed. The seasons are listed below as well as all the other teams who share the record. The dataset only considered the top five leagues in Europe for this particular instance.
Most games left when winning the top-flight title in Europe
Games remaining after mathematically secured
| Team | Season | Games remaining |
|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | 2019-20 | 7 |
| Juventus | 2018-19 | 5 |
| Manchester City | 2017-19 | 5 |
| Paris Saint Germain | 2015-16 | 8 |
| Bayern Munich | 2013-14 | 7 |
| Inter | 2006-07 | 5 |
| Real Madrid | 1974-75 | 5 |
| Barcelona | 1973-74 | 5 |
| Real Madrid | 1962-63 | 5 |
| Real Madrid | 1960-61 | 5 |
Klopp was overcome with emotion as he dedicated the club’s first league title in 30 years to the fans on Thursday.
Klopp wiped away tears of joy during a television interview minutes after Chelsea’s 2-1 win against Manchester City sealed the Premier League crown.
“It’s such a big moment, I am completely overwhelmed,” Klopp told Sky Sports.
“Tonight it is for you out there,” added Klopp.
“It’s incredible. I hope you stay at home, or go in front of your house if you want, but not more. We do it together in this moment and it is a joy to do it for you.”
Thousands ignored Klopp’s plea to respect social distancing rules amid the coronavirus as they partied the night away in the streets around Anfield.
But the German promised Liverpool will hold a celebratory parade through the city when it is safe to do so.
“We will create pictures in the future with the parade whenever it will be for all our supporters,” added Klopp. “We will be together and enjoy this in a proper manner.”