Liverpool were the outstanding team in the first half of the Premier League season, starting with a ferocious pace that they did not let slip as they picked up a ridiculously good 51 points from their first round of fixtures.
Jurgen Klopp's side were at their most impressive during Manchester City's stumbles , winning nine consecutive league games between Remembrance Day and the end of 2018 to briefly open up a ten-point lead at the top of the table (having played a game more).
That gap has been chipped away at since the turn of the year though as Pep Guardiola's battling Blues have roared back in a bid to defend their title. Victory over Liverpool on January 3 was priceless in their effort to reframe the title race as something other than a one-horse race, and set the tone for a month that saw them score 30 goals in seven straight victories...until they were stunned at Newcastle.
Their title hopes looked to have ended after a bizarre non-performance at St. James' Park, but nobody could have predicted what followed. Amid several Liverpool stumbles, City have not looked back and even surprised their manager with a relentless drive that has seen them pick up every point available since .
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Saturday's win over Tottenham makes it ten in a row, beating the previous high that Liverpool have held for almost four months. And with the Merseyside club having dropped points at Everton in Gameweek 29, they will not be able to match City's run even if they win their four remaining games - nor will any other team.
Such a standard does of course not guarantee the Blues any silverware - Brendan Rodgers's challengers won 12 games in the 2012 title race before that infamous defeat to Chelsea - but does reinforce the outstanding level City have maintained this season.
Having managed 18 straight wins to smash a new record on their way to 100 points last year, Guardiola's side could yet beat the previous record of 13 set by Antonio Conte's Chelsea in the 2016/17 season.
Pep Guardiola hails massive Man City achievement after Tottenham win
