Scoring two penalties for Liverpool during their resounding 3-0 win over fierce rivals Manchester United on Sunday, captain Steven Gerrard came up big once again for the Reds.
Liverpool’s inspirational captain, now 33, has never won a English top-flight title in his 17-year career for his hometown club. Speaking after the mauling of Man United, Gerrard is adamant Liverpool’s time has arrived to life their first-ever Premier League title.
“We’ve showed that we are genuine contenders and we are going to fight to the end for this,” Gerrard said. “We believe that we can win the league.”
Do you agree?
It’s hard to argue with Gerrard’s assessment, as the the Reds have won five PL games on the bounce and are just four points behind leaders Chelsea with a game in hand and are brimming with confidence. Their remaining schedule is also extremely advantageous for picking up maximum points, as the toughest games they face, on paper, are against Manchester City and Chelsea at home.
(MORE: Man United 0-3 Liverpool: Gerrard hits twice from the spot to send Reds second)
With relegation fodder Cardiff City, Sunderland, Norwich and Crystal Palace all to come and games against Tottenham, West Ham and Newcastle, the way Liverpool are playing at the moment seems like they can’t be stopped. The Reds are the PL’s top scorers with 76 goals in 29 matches, and with the defense boosted by the return of Glen Johnson and Daniel Agger for the run-in, Liverpool’s Achilles heel of giving up sloppy goals seems to have been resolved after two clean sheets in a row.
That has been a problem area for Liverpool throughout the season but if they can cut out defensive mishaps in the final nine games of the campaign, they could well win the league.
Liverpool’s pivotal fixtures against Chelsea and Man City at home will likely decide your 2013-14 PL champion. If you’d asked Reds fans at the start of the season, they would’ve happily taken a top four spot and been ecstatic. Now dreams of winning the PL crown are creeping into conversation on the red half of Merseyside.
Here’s a look at Liverpool’s remaining schedule:
Liverpool’s remaining fixtures: Cardiff (away), Sunderland (home), Tottenham (home), West Ham (away), Man City (home), Norwich (away), Chelsea (home), Crystal Palace (away), Newcastle (home)