Losing the 2018/19 title race to Manchester City motivated Liverpool to improve even further, according to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Jurgen Klopp's side responded to the standard set by Pep Guardiola's Centurions with a blistering pace over the first half of last season. They barely let up but defeat to the champions in January was enough to see them pipped to the title by the Blues despite their tally of 97 points being higher than any side but City has managed in Premier League history.
As it was confirmed that the wait for a league title at Anfield would stretch into a 30th year, the Liverpool squad and their manager reflected on the outstanding levels set by Guardiola's City and vowed to work even harder. When the season was halted last month, they were on the cusp of winning the league and on course to set a new record for most points in a single season.
"First of all it was sort of another heightened respect for Man City as a team, to go 100 points and then 98 back to back, that takes a lot of doing," Oxlade-Chamberlain told Premier League Productions.
“Mentally, as a group of players, I think that’s maybe where we thought, ‘Alright, 97 points not good enough’ and I remember the manager saying we’ve got to do more. Simple as that.
“He was adamant that’s not enough, you’ve got to do more, and I think it’s a credit to us in what we’ve done so far this season.
"Obviously this is a strange time because you talk about momentum and that’s the same for every team at the minute, but it’s not finished yet.
“So, I’m really proud of us as a group of lads that we’ve achieved that and the manager as well, the whole club, the backroom staff, they are the same. I’ve seen everyone pushing even harder this year, and that’s what the manager’s created."
