When it became clear that Liverpool would cruise to the ‘24-25 Premier League title, rival fans and pundits alike began questioning the overall quality of English top-flight football this season in an effort to undermine the Reds’ achievement.
After all, if Liverpool are able to maintain or increase their 15-point advantage by the end of the season, it would be the largest title triumph since City won the '17-18 trophy over second place United by 19 points.
Admittedly, there have been some surprising factors helped pave Liverpool’s relatively stress-free path to the title: few anticipated Manchester City’s severe drop-off in form after years of domestic dominance, and had Arsenal signed a striker at the deadline, they indeed might have kept the pressure on longer.
Earned and not given
Make no mistake about it: the lack of a title race this season doesn’t mean that Premier League sides have dropped in quality.
The recent results across UEFA competitions and the race for Champions League football next season tell a completely different story.
Results both domestically and continentally have ensured that six English clubs will compete in next season’s Champions League—a first in the competition’s history.
The previous record was five Premier League teams, set during the 2017/18 campaign.
This unprecedented milestone comes in the midst of one of the most fiercely contested races for CL qualification the Premier League has ever seen.
While Liverpool have pulled away with a commanding lead at the top, the gap between second-place Arsenal and seventh-place Nottingham Forest stands at just six points.
The narrow margins reflect the extraordinary depth and competitiveness of the league this season—more than half a dozen sides have looked worthy of a Champions League place.
Liverpool handled the best on offer
Liverpool’s aggregate league record against the six other teams in the hunt for Champions League spots? Five wins, five draws, and just two losses (one of which came with the title already wrapped up)—a strong return against what may go down as the most competitive Champions League qualification race in Premier League history.
Further down the table, 15th and 16th place standings in the Premier League would usually suggest mediocrity, not European success.
But this season, those spots are occupied by Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur—both of whom will be representing England in the upcoming Europa League final.
In a typical Premier League season, clubs that low in the standings would be battling relegation. This year, they’re battling for European silverware.
And Liverpool’s combined scoreline against United and Spurs? A dominant 16–6 in the Reds’ favor across four matches, with three wins and a draw.
Chelsea will also represent the Premier League in the upcoming Conference League final against Real Betis of La Liga, marking the first time since the 2018–19 season—when Liverpool faced Tottenham in the Champions League final and Chelsea met Arsenal in the Europa League final—that at least two English teams will play in different European finals in the same year.
Furthermore, although no English club reached the Champions League final after Arsenal fell to PSG in the semis, Premier League sides still delivered the strongest overall performances in the group stage.
They recorded more wins than any other domestic league, with three of the four English teams finishing in the top eight.
While the lack of a true title race this season may have felt “boring,” the fierce competition for Champions League spots and the strong performance of English clubs in Europe highlight that Liverpool have earned their 20th title by taking points from quality opposition.
They will also undoubtedly seek to address their European shortcomings in the face of a loaded field next season.