Trent Alexander-Arnold has claimed that Liverpool "would have broken the Premier League points and goals records in 2019/20 were it not for COVID".
Speaking exclusively to FourFourTwo, the England international touched on the Reds’ startling 2019-20 campaign during which they won their first league title in the Premier League era.
Miraculously, that Liverpool side reached 99 points in total, and hit 85 goals – just one point off matching Manchester City’s triumphant season in 2017-18.
Alexander-Arnold believes it was the interruption of COVID that steered Liverpool off course from smashing both records. “If it wasn’t for COVID, we’d have broken every record out there, in terms of number of points won and goals scored, but it wasn’t meant to be,” he reflected during an in-depth chat for the current issue of FourFourTwo magazine.
Having won a ludicrous 27 of 29 games before football was halted by the pandemic, Liverpool drew twice then lost twice in their final nine matches.
“The way we played, and how incredible we were that season was… I don’t think we’ll ever see anything like it again,” adds Trent. “How far we got without really dropping any points is something I’m sure not many teams will ever go on to achieve.”
The title was confirmed in slightly strange circumstances, with the Reds’ squad and staff gathered at Formby Hall, socially distanced from fans, watching Manchester City lose to Chelsea behind closed doors. The pandemic denied the team the celebrations they had shed blood, sweat and tears for.
“It was unfortunate,” recalls the right-back now. “But we made the best out of a different situation to what it could have been, and we did celebrate – that night was unbelievable.”
Injuries plagued Liverpool in the following year, as they finished third. But in the subsequent campaign, they battled with the Citizens once more, finishing a point behind them in the Premier League, on 93 and 92 points respectively.
They meet on Sunday in what promises to be one of the biggest and most defining games of the season.
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