Premier League 2014 Highlight: Liverpool Come so Close to the Title

To watch Liverpool this season, it's easy to forget that they came so, so close to winning their first league title in 24 years last term. For much of the campaign so far they have been a shadow of that thrilling team that came so close, that exhilarating side that won 11 straight league games from February to April, scoring an extraordinary 38 goals in the process.

The nadir of course came in the defeat to Chelsea, handed to them by Brendan Rodgers's tactical naivety and Steven Gerrard's slip, followed by the extraordinary capitulation against Crystal Palace. Four points from those two games instead of one would have given them the title, but they were only in a position to hold their destiny in their own hands by perhaps their most remarkable win, over Manchester City at Anfield a few weeks earlier.

Clint Hughes/Associated Press

Going into the game, Liverpool were four points ahead of City, but Manuel Pellegrini's side had two games in hand, both theoretically fairly straightforward encounters against Sunderland and Aston Villa, so the 2011/12 champions were still favourites to win the title.

The atmosphere around the ground before kick-off was feverish. This was the closest match to the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, which was marked by a minute's silence, while the Liverpool side were greeted by a throng of fans giddy with anticipation outside Anfield.

The pressure, therefore, was on, but Liverpool blazed into the game in much the same way that they had in previous weeks, attacking this hugely talented and expensive City team from the start, Raheem Sterling giving them the lead with a gloriously simple yet clever shuffle after just six minutes. Of that run of 11 games, they had scored in the first 20 minutes in seven, a strategy of early dominance clear, of trying to blitz the opposition before they had a chance to react.

It all seemed to be going perfectly for Liverpool, as in the 19th minute Yaya Toure was forced off with an injury, and the lead was doubled seven minutes later, as Martin Skrtel headed home at the near post.

Jon Super/Associated Press

However, in the second half City recovered, and levelled in quick time through David Silva and a Glen Johnson own goal. In retrospect, this was perhaps the first sign of the cracks that would widen against Chelsea and Palace, cracks that would destroy their title bid, also displayed in the next game against Norwich when they only just held on after a comeback by the Canaries.

It was easy to ignore that though, as Philippe Coutinho won the game with a superb curling shot into the bottom corner, and from that point Anfield, indeed an entire city, fizzed with heady anticipation.

Gerrard of course gave his famous speech, including the unfortunately prescient line "This does not slip," foreshadowing his own loss of footing shortly afterwards.

Gerrard told the BBC: "It's probably going to be the biggest month of my career coming up now. I'll give it everything I've got. The message is to stay calm—there are still four cup finals left. I feel 21 again, playing with all these top players."

At that point it looked close to certain that Liverpool would go on to win the league, particularly after City suffered another setback a few days later, drawing at home with Sunderland. They had a six-point lead with four games to play, City having a single game in hand.

They came agonisingly close, but for that one day hope seemed to be embodied in Anfield, a group of fans, many of whom had gone most of their adult lives without seeing a title win for Liverpool, alive with anticipation.

It would turn out to be forlorn, but the electric excitement inside Anfield that day has to make this game the highlight of the Premier League in 2014.