How Liverpool Lost the Premier League

We've read about how Liverpool let the title slip away. We saw the frustration spill over when Jamie Carragher was involved in a shoving match with Alvaro Arbeloa in the weekend's match against West Brom.

All that commitment turned out to be futile. If Liverpool had been this focused throughout the season rather than only during the last third of the season, things may have been different.

But what do we know...Rafa probably prepared his team in the best possible way, shuffled his pack to suit the opposition's formation, and won himself a new contract by politicking.

There are a few schools of thought as to the real reason for Liverpool's failure to pip Manchester United to the title.

1. Lack of Depth

United's substitutes can come in 60 minutes into the game and make an instant impact, changing the match. Tevez, Anderson, and even Kiko Macheda have all contributed so much to this season's title tilt.

Liverpool, on the other hand rely on Nabil El Zhar, Ryan Babel, and David Ngog. Not the same impact as one would expect, is it? If Steven Gerrard and Nando Torres could have stayed injury-free the whole season, who knows what difference that would have made... 

2. Form at Home

Liverpool's draws against the lesser sides at home have been well documented. It is true that the inability to beat the likes of Fulham, West Ham, and Stoke City at home cost Liverpool valuable points. The title challenge could have taken a different turn if all those draws were wins—Manchester United would have been the pursuer rather than the pursued.

The second reason is more plausible. When comparing Liverpool to Manchester United, the Red Devils have been prolific against the Wigans and the Boltons of the Premier League. They registered a whopping 84 percent win percentage against these teams, the highest among the Big Four. Of the 31 matches currently concluded, United has won 26, drawn only four, and suffered only one defeat at Fulham.

On the other hand, Liverpool could only win 20 matches, draw nine, and lose two against teams outside of the Big Four. This puts them at a 65 percent win percentage.

An inferior wins record compared to the newly crowned champions is essentially what cost Liverpool the title. The fact that Manchester United always come up victors against teams outside the Big Four brought the title back to the Theatre of Dreams. 

So what if Liverpool did the double over Manchester United? Under Benitez, they still have that cup-side feel about them. To win the league, one has to beat the teams which are below them. The loss to Boro (when they were bottom of the league) and Spurs (also when they were bottom of the league) came at a time when Boro and Spurs were languishing at the foot of the table.

Another six valuable points dropped—in the end, they all add up.

Nevertheless, this season is Liverpool's best season yet since the Premier League began. There has been progress made this season—the last 10 games where Liverpool enchanted us with fantasy-style football really made this season come alive for all of us.

But ultimately the key to league titles is consistency, which means to win matches against lesser opponents while performing and outlasting the title challengers. Liverpool has done the latter this season; now they have to add the former into their repertoire.

Until that happens, Liverpool's proud record (now shared!) of 18 League titles could be surpassed next season by this excellent Manchester United side.