As Liverpool miss out with 97 points, here are the Premier League’s best-ever runners up
LIVERPOOL’s Premier League dream is over – and they will have to wait another year to have a crack at breaking their title drought.
The Reds have never won the top-flight since the Prem’s inception – and have never come closer than this.
Sunday’s final-day win over Wolves, 2-0 at Anfield, still wasn’t enough as Manchester City stole all three points on the south coast against Brighton, surviving a huge scare to come from a goal-down to win 4-1.
Through 38 games, Liverpool won 30, drew seven and lost just ONE for a total of 97 points – and yet still fell short to Pep Guardiola and Co by a single point.
Jurgen Klopp will now turn his attention to the Champions League final against Tottenham on June 1.
But he could hardly be blamed for letting the last-day disappointment play on his mind for a little while.
After all, no Premier League runners-up have ever got close to Liverpool’s 97-point haul.
We take a look at the best second-placed teams in Premier League history – and how they stack up to this Liverpool side.
2011-12: Man Utd – 89 points
THE heartbreaker. The season famed for Martin Tyler’s “Aguerooo” crescendo. The year United missed out on goal difference.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s men stormed to 28 wins and just five defeats but were still pipped in dramatic fashion.
Man City fought from behind to beat QPR on the final day in the dying seconds, making Wayne Rooney’s winner at Sunderland irrelevant.
Until this season, the 2011-12 United squad were the best-ever runners up.
1994-95: Man Utd – 88 points*
WE’LL put an asterisk on this season, as back in the day, the Premier League was a 22-team, 42-game affair.
United slipped to second place, behind eventual winners Blackburn by a single point in an historic season.
However, if their points tally was readjusted for the 38-game era, they would have picked up just 82 points.
Still good, but a fair way off the rest of the teams in this list…
2016-17: Tottenham – 86 points
CLOSE but no cigar, Spurs stormed to second in two years ago – but still finished seven points behind winners Chelsea.
Spurs won 26 matches and lost only four as they finished above Man City, Liverpool – and most importantly for them – Arsenal.
To this day, it’s still easily their best-ever Premier League points total – miles above their 2017-18 tally of 77.
2008-09: Liverpool – 86 points
ONE of three agonising seasons for the Reds in their recent history – as well as the 2018-19 and 2013-14 seasons.
In 2008-09, Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool battled all the way and lost just twice all season, but still slipped four points adrift of United – who actually lost four matches.
The Reds had beaten United 4-1 at Old Trafford that year in a remarkable victory – and 2-1 at Anfield to boot.
But their failure to put away the “smaller” teams proved their undoing.
2009-10: Man Utd – 85 points
SOMETIMES, like Liverpool in the present day, you just have to tip your cap to the champions.
Nine years ago, United amassed 85 points but were pipped to the post by a single point by Chelsea.
That year, the Blues became the first team in Prem history to score more than 100 goals.
A Didier Drogba-led Chelsea netted 103 times that year – with no other team reaching the century mark until Man City in 2013-14.
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2007-08: Chelsea – 85 points
IN a dramatic Premier League season, the top three were separated by just four points – as Man Utd were crowned champions.
Chelsea were the unlucky runners up, two points adrift of Fergie’s men in second with 85 points – while Arsenal notched 83 points.
The Blues lost just three matches all season, but were let down by their inability to turn draws into wins, with no fewer than ten stalemates.