Liverpool might have got 2023 off to the worst possible start, but if they can come close to replicating their record from last year, better times are only around the corner.
The Reds had been hoping to chalk up a fifth consecutive league win against Brentford on Tuesday night, but instead were left with egg on their face after the Bees swarmed on Jurgen Klopp's rattled players to pull off a stinging 3-1 home win for Thomas Frank's side.
The result stopped Liverpool from moving up to fifth place in the Premier League, as Manchester United and Newcastle United were able to increase their advantage on the Merseysiders on Wednesday night. The defeat was Liverpool's fifth in the Premier League already this season as Klopp's side have made a stuttering start to the new campaign.
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But even an inconsistent first half to the current season didn't stop them from almost topping the charts when it comes to declaring who was the best performing team in England last year. Liverpool finished 2022 with the second-best record of all 92 Football League clubs.
Among all four of the top divisions in the English pyramid, only one team recorded a better points-per-game ratio across league fixtures in 2022. With 35 games played, the Reds managed 23 wins, seven draws, and only four losses, amassing 79 total points. In that time, they have scored 77 times and conceded just 29, for a goal difference of +46, which is also among the best in the Football League.
This gives Liverpool an incredible record of 2.26 points-per-game, a return bettered by only Premier League champions Manchester City across the top four divisions. Pep Guardiola's side are equal on points with the Reds, but played one fewer game in 2022.
Current Premier league-leaders Arsenal are third on the list of 92 clubs with 2.20 points per game thanks to their 25 wins in 35 matches, as Mikel Arteta’s team raced to the top of the table in the first half of this season. They currently hold an eight-point advantage.
Liverpool's 2022 record suggests that they should be faring much better than seventh in the table, but as they languish seven points adrift of the Champions League qualification places, hopes of a 20th league title are well beyond expectation. But if they can compress their form from the last 12 months into the next five, a top-four finish should be highly achievable.
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