Jurgen Klopp Guards Against Premature Liverpool Title Celebrations

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said he does not have an issue with Reds supporters singing about winning the Premier League title, but he will not be persuaded to join the party.

The Anfield faithful could be heard singing "we're going to win the league" as Liverpool beat Manchester United 2-0 on Sunday.

Per the Daily Mail's Chris Wheeler, Klopp is content for them to sing that, even if he's not going to join them:

"I am not here to dictate what they have to sing. If our fans were not in a good mood now, that would be really strange.

"Of course they are allowed to dream, to sing whatever they want as long as they are ready to do their job as well at the moment when we play. All fine.

"Everyone should celebrate the situation, apart from us. Nothing has changed. We have the same situation plus three points. I will tell you immediately the moment if it feels different, but at the moment it doesn't.

"We will not be part of that party yet but it's no problem. We know our job."

After Manchester City and Leicester City—the only sides vaguely close enough to catch them at this stage—drew with Crystal Palace and lost to Burnley, respectively, Liverpool opened up a 16-point lead atop the table with a game in hand.

Virgil van Dijk headed the Reds in front after 14 minutes on Sunday. Roberto Firmino thought he'd doubled Liverpool's tally, but the goal was disallowed after Van Dijk was adjudged to have fouled David De Gea in the buildup. 

The hosts continued to dominate much of the proceedings without taking their chances until Mohamed Salah made it 2-0 with a last-gasp counter-attack:

Bleacher Report's Jack Collins is convinced the Reds are nailed on to win the title this season:

The numbers would support that:

Given the size of their lead and their breathtaking consistency, it's difficult to imagine them dropping enough points to allow their rivals back into the race.

What's more, even if Liverpool do falter, City and Leicester would still need to string together a run of significantly improved results.

The Sky Blues ended last season with 14 straight victories, a run that was crucial to them beating Liverpool to the title by one point.

However, as football writer Joel Rabinowitz observed, they've not been nearly capable of reproducing such a run in this campaign:

As for Leicester, they racked up eight wins in a row between October 19 and December 8, but in their seven league matches since, they've won just twice. They've still enjoyed a superb season, but their focus should be on retaining their place in the top four to secure UEFA Champions League qualification.

Liverpool will travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Thursday, and they'll play their game in hand against West Ham United on January 29. Depending on City's results, wins in those games could extend their lead to 19 or as many as 22 points.