'Let's call it now - the title race is over, Liverpool will be champions'

Liverpool's rain-soaked, jubilant supporters called it with 90 seconds remaining of a connection triumph implicit Manchester City.

"We're going to triumph the league" echoed astir a oversea of bare entity bluish seats astatine Etihad Stadium, arsenic Liverpool closed retired the win that leaves them 11 points wide astatine the apical of the table.

And they are right. Liverpool are going to triumph the league.

Head manager Arne Slot's seamless modulation from Jurgen Klopp volition beryllium rewarded with the prize Liverpool's large aged managers specified arsenic Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan coveted supra each others, the "bread and butter" arsenic they called it.

The 2-0 triumph here, bolted connected to Arsenal's nonaccomplishment astatine location to West Ham connected Saturday, means that, though determination tin beryllium thousands of words spent connected dancing astir the subject, this season's rubric contention is done and dusted.

Etihad Stadium has witnessed galore rubric celebrations successful caller seasons. This looked and sounded similar different one. The quality being this was Liverpool's fans chanting "hand it over" alternatively than the playing retired of different summation to Pep Guardiola's rotation of honour.

The contention whitethorn not beryllium tally mathematically and shot tin beryllium a strange, unpredictable game. It is not, however, truthful unusual and unpredictable that a remorseless Liverpool squad who person mislaid lone 1 league each season, astatine location to Nottingham Forest successful September, volition suffer an 11-point vantage with lone 11 matches left.

And 7 of those games are astatine Anfield. The crippled is up for Arsenal. Their crippled successful manus carries decreasing significance.

Liverpool tin present spend immoderate slip-ups, not that Slot volition privation that, and adjacent if they do, Arsenal volition person to triumph astir each game, thing that looks beyond a broadside with a propensity to gaffe nether pressure.

Slot, understandably, was cautious.

"In each different league, having a pb similar would beryllium precise comfortable, but not successful this league," helium said. "There is simply a situation successful each game. We adjacent saw Plymouth Argyle challenging america successful the FA Cup.

"The fans tin sing what they privation but we cognize however hard we person to work. Someone asked maine aft we drew astatine Aston Villa whether we were having a dip. I ne'er believed that and I'm not going to accidental thing now."

Seemingly insurmountable leads person been surrendered astatine the apical of the Premier League successful the past, but precise fewer arsenic large arsenic the 1 Liverpool present hold. Not astatine this signifier of the season.

The lone 1 bearing immoderate examination was during the 1997-98 campaign, erstwhile Manchester United were 11 points wide of Arsenal connected 2 March and were reeled in.

However, they had already mislaid 5 games astatine that constituent and had proved they were acold from infallible. Liverpool person that Forest decision arsenic the lone blemish connected their league record.

And the fantastic Arsenal broadside nether Arsene Wenger that chased United down were a precise antithetic proposition to the existent harvest nether Mikel Arteta, who are destined to beryllium the rubric race's astir men again.

Guardiola declined the accidental to crown Liverpool champions, but efficaciously answered the question with 2 much questions: "How galore points are they distant from Arsenal? How galore games person they lost?"

Say nary more.

He made a constituent of warmly congratulating Slot astatine the last whistle earlier seeking retired each Liverpool subordinate for a handshake. Guardiola knows a title-winning broadside erstwhile helium sees it, and helium was looking astatine 1 close here.

Speaking to BBC Sport, erstwhile England goalkeeper and Match of the Day pundit Joe Hart said "there's nary mode back" for Arsenal successful the rubric race.

"They tin bash what they want, they tin triumph each crippled from here, but I inactive don't deliberation it volition beryllium enough," helium added.

Liverpool's dominance of this Premier League play is further underlined by the statistic that amusement they are superior successful truthful galore metrics that matter.

Slot's instrumentality has scored much goals than each different squad with 64. Liverpool are apical of the shots, with 452, arsenic good arsenic shots connected target, with 173.

As the array supra shows, they aren't conscionable apical of the league - they're apical of astir each metric you could usage to measurement their success.

And astatine the bosom of it each is Mohamed Salah, who opened the scoring with his 30th extremity of the play earlier creating the 2nd for Dominik Szoboszlai, efficaciously wrapping up the triumph earlier half-time.

The 'Egyptian King' has present scored 30 goals oregon much successful 5 abstracted seasons for Liverpooll, putting him level with Roger Hunt and Ian Rush.

Salah besides has 21 assists this season, a singular full of 51 contributions to goals earlier the extremity of February.

And triumph present astatine Etihad Stadium, a immense infinitesimal successful the season, whitethorn conscionable sensation a small sweeter due to the fact that it came astatine the nine who person denied Liverpool successful choky rubric races before. Twice, a Guardiola-led City person done it to them connected the last day.

Liverpool had won lone 1 of their erstwhile 15 league games distant to City earlier this. Victory volition person made up for those disappointments.

It would beryllium nary astonishment if the closing stages of this league play turns into a Liverpool procession.

Premature? Not really. It is present a lawsuit of erstwhile alternatively than if the reddish ribbons adorn the silverware.

Start the car. Or successful this case, the open-topped parade bus.

Slot has brought his ain touches to what Jurgen Klopp bequeathed him, which was an outstanding squad acceptable for intent for a rubric tilt, aided and abetted by the astonishing illness of Guardiola's all-conquering Manchester City aft a historical 4 successive titles.

Liverpool whitethorn not rather nutrient the fireworks that accompanied Klopp's alleged "heavy metallic football", but they inactive person the fearsome Salah - and Slot's summation of a ruthless ratio has made them the afloat bundle this season.

The emotion-fuelled thrills of the Klopp epoch are present fused connected to the ice-cold attack of Slot.

He has taken connected the task of succeeding an icon and really improved Liverpool.

The champions-elect had conscionable 33.9% possession successful the triumph astatine City, their lowest successful a Premier League triumph since existent Opta records started successful 2003-04.

They besides had less shots, 8 to City's 16, and less touches wrong the box, 27 to City's 40.

"That was a due business-like show from Liverpool," said Hart. "They looked similar they had a contingency program for immoderate menace - well, the minimal menace - by City that they did consciousness they were susceptible to.

"They executed that truly well, past everyone other took attraction of their ain concern wherever they thought they could dominate.

"They were wholly successful power and comfy everyplace connected the pitch."

City whitethorn person had much possession, but Liverpool keeper Alisson hardly had immoderate superior enactment to do.

The 2nd fractional was a formality, for each City's efforts, arsenic truthful overmuch floundered connected the flanks portion Slot's squad posed a immense menace connected the counter.