Following Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Brighton on Sunday, there has been some debate amongst fans online regarding the overall satisfaction from the Reds’ start to the season.
Therefore, today we’re going to take a look at Liverpool’s start to the season over the opening eight games and compare it with the success of a number of recent seasons.
After eight games, Liverpool currently sit in 4th place in the Premier League on 17 points with five wins, two draws, and one defeat.
The Reds began the season with a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, with a first-half Luis Diaz goal not quite enough to secure all three points.
Jurgen Klopp’s side then went on a five-game win streak, beating Bournemouth, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Wolves, and West Ham United.
Liverpool then fell victim to a horrendously officiated encounter with Tottenham Hotspur, where they received two red cards and had a goal wrongfully ruled out for offside.
The Reds would ultimately fall to a 2-1 defeat in the last minute before going on to draw 2-2 with Brighton the following weekend.
Going into the international break, Liverpool find themselves just three points behind Tottenham Hotspur at the top of the table and just one point behind the holders, Manchester City.
2022/23 SEASON: A STRUGGLE TO FIND CONSISTENCY
Points: 13 Goals Scored: 20 Goals Conceded: 12
At this point last season, Liverpool were sitting in 7th place in the Premier League on 13 points, with just two wins, four draws, and two defeats.
The Reds only picked two points up from the opening nine available last season, with a 2-2 draw at Fulham and a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Anfield before falling to a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United.
Liverpool seemed to have got their season back on track, with a 9-0 thrashing of Bournemouth and a 2-1 late victory against Newcastle United at Anfield, giving them high hopes ahead of the Merseyside Derby.
The Derby finished 0-0 at Goodison Park, before the Reds scraped a 3-3 draw with Brighton at Anfield.
Finally, Liverpool fell to a close 3-2 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in a game with multiple VAR talking points once again.
Jurgen Klopp’s side would ultimately finish the season in 5th place, narrowly missing out on Champions League football.
2021/22 SEASON: A STRONG START WITH HIGH SCORING
Points: 18 Goals Scored: 22 Goals Conceded: 6
Liverpool started the 2021/22 season in fantastic form, sitting in 2nd place in the Premier League on 18 points after eight games.
The Reds won five and drew three of their opening eight games, scoring an obscene amount of goals whilst keeping the defence tight.
Jurgen Klopp’s side started the season with a 3-0 victory at Norwich City, before brushing Burnley to one side in a 2-0 win at Anfield.
Early title contenders, Chelsea, were the next to come to Anfield and proved a good test for Klopp’s men, with the game ending 1-1.
Leeds United and Crystal Palace were the next to be pushed to one side, both falling to a 3-0 defeat to the Reds.
However, the Reds then sloppily dropped points in a 3-3 draw at Brentford before holding eventual title winners Manchester City to a 2-2 draw at Anfield, thanks to a world-class Mohamed Salah solo goal.
The Reds rounded off their opening eight games with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Watford at Vicarage Road, with Mohamed Salah stealing the headlines once again.
Liverpool would go on to challenge for the Quadruple that season, winning both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup as well as reaching the UEFA Champions League Final.
In the Premier League, the Reds would finish the season on 92 points just a point behind Manchester City.
2020/21 SEASON: A TRAGIC TALE OF WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN
Points: 17
Many Liverpool fans look back at the 2020/21 season as an absolute tragedy from start to finish, but this wasn’t exactly the case.
The Reds sat 3rd in the Premier League on 17 points from the opening eight games, in which they won five, drew two, and lost one.
Klopp’s side started the season with a 4-3 victory over Leeds United at Anfield, before making a huge statement with victories over Chelsea and Arsenal.
Then a freak result happened at Villa Park, which saw Liverpool fall to a 7-2 defeat to Aston Villa, really putting any title hopes on hold.
Liverpool then travelled to Goodison Park to face their Merseyside rivals Everton. The game ended as a 2-2, although Liverpool wrongfully had a Jordan Henderson late winner ruled out for offside.
The Reds soon put those two results behind them with routine 2-1 wins over Sheffield United and West Ham United.
Finally, they managed to pull a solid point away from the Etihad in a 1-1 draw against Manchester City.
Liverpool wouldn’t lose again in the Premier League until January but would then go on to lose six home games on the bounce, finishing the season in 3rd place.
