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When Jurgen Klopp first arrived at Liverpool in 2015, he vowed to implement heavy-metal football and take the Reds back to the very top. Fast forward five years and Klopp has done precisely what he said he would, transforming an attack-centric side into one of the world's most efficient machines.
At the time of writing, the Reds currently sit 25 points clear of closest rivals Manchester City atop the Premier League standings, are on course for their first title in 30 years and have lost just once in 27 matches thus far. Most of these results have emerged through defensive resilience and their ability to win ugly, something that this existing City side lack.
The current Champions League holders have been forced to grind out wins on several occasions this term, with victories by more than one goal somewhat of a rarity at times. But as the saying goes, that's what champions do - the ability to win no matter the performance, regardless of the task at hand, something that perfectly sums up Liverpool this term.
They have scored goals in the last 10 minutes of games on nine occasions this season, with seven of those also being winning goals. This has seen them overcome the likes of Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Monterrey in the Club World Cup semi-finals, a competition they went on to win.
It's this ability to win ugly that has proven a key difference-maker in the title race for Liverpool this term, as defending champions City have been unable to match their relentless form.
In contrast, how have City struggled?
When forced to battle, Pep Guardiola's men simply haven't done enough to prevail from tricky situations - the recent Manchester Derby defeat at Old Trafford an example of this.
Previous encounters against Liverpool have also exposed some of the Citizens' weaknesses, with this season's 3-1 defeat at Anfield another example. Manchester United and Liverpool are just two sides who have both prevented City from utilising their possession-centric game, by almost suffocating players with pressure - from which they have been unable to handle.
Once they are rendered incapable of dictating play, with no plan B evident, City players have struggled to cope against their opposition and collapsed. It's why they have lost seven league games already this term, which is a domestic career-high in Guardiola's managerial career.
City's failure to implement a reliable secondary plan under pressure, coupled with their inability to win ugly when they're struggling in matches, has cost them the league title this term - leaving them helplessly watching on as the rampant Reds march towards success.
