Liverpool 2024/25 season overview – an unforgettable campaign

What an unforgettable campaign it has turned out to be for Liverpool! Exactly a year ago, the fanbase was still digesting the reality of Jürgen Klopp’s emotional farewell, with widespread uncertainty surrounding Arne Slot, the man chosen to fill the legendary German’s shoes. 

Fast forward to today, and there’s nothing but widespread admiration for the Dutch tactician, whose masterclass has now delivered a historic 20th title crown, with the Reds utterly dominating this season’s Premier League much to the delight of fans with Liverpool tickets.

Though this marks only their second league success since the Premier League’s inception, Liverpool’s tally of top-flight triumphs now equals that of Manchester United—each with 20.

Their unexpected ascent to glory has been a collective accomplishment—anchored by an unyielding team spirit and unity that stood firm amid turbulent spells, particularly when uncertainties around contract renewals loomed heavily over the squad.

In this article, we analyse how the Reds navigated through a tough season unscathed, including Slot’s new team identity, the best player, the toughest game of the season, and more.

Season overview

Given how Liverpool faltered in the final stretch of the previous campaign—despite being in the title race—it was hardly surprising that doubts trailed their credentials this time. The club also saw the departure of their legendary boss, Jürgen Klopp, who decided to call time on his iconic tenure at the season’s end.

Though Arne Slot arrived in England with a glowing résumé from his time with Feyenoord, the consensus was one of cautious optimism—uncertainty prevailed over whether he could immediately make an impression in the Premier League.

He hinted from the onset that transformation would not be abrupt, admitting his tactical blueprint mirrored Klopp’s to a large extent—just requiring subtle tweaks.

Slot’s managerial journey began with encouraging signs. Liverpool’s curtain-raiser at Portman Road saw them register 50 touches inside Ipswich Town’s penalty area during a 2-0 triumph—a Premier League record for box entries in a debut managerial fixture since Opta’s tracking began in the 2008-09 season.

Despite that positive start, critics still needed convincing. But that record-breaking performance was only the opening chapter of what became a historic Premier League beginning under the Dutchman.

A pair of commanding clean-sheet victories—2-0 over Brentford and 3-0 at Manchester United—quickly followed, and Slot became the first manager to win his opening three Premier League matches without conceding, a feat not achieved since Sven-Göran Eriksson in 2007.

Although a surprising 1-0 defeat at Anfield to Nottingham Forest halted that momentum, the eventual consensus was that the result reflected Nuno Espírito Santo’s remarkable improvements more than any tactical flaws from Liverpool, and it ultimately stood as their sole league loss until April.

The Dutch tactician recorded eight wins from his initial 10 top-flight outings, with one draw and one defeat—a feat unmatched by any Liverpool manager in their first 10 matches in charge.

“It’s nice to start this way, that’s clear,” Slot remarked in October. And following that impressive launch, Liverpool never eased off the accelerator.

Slot’s explosive entry continued with a gritty 3-2 away success against Southampton, which marked his 10th league win from only 12 games—no Premier League manager had reached that total faster (matched only by Carlo Ancelotti and Guus Hiddink).

After dispatching Aston Villa 2-0 at Anfield, Liverpool climbed to 28 points from 11 games—surpassed only by their 2019/20 title-winning tally of 31 after the same number of matches. Hiddink remained the only other Premier League manager to hit that exact milestone from their first 11 fixtures.

By December 25, Liverpool were sitting atop the standings, having blown Tottenham Hotspur away in a 6-3 thriller with fans holding Spurs tickets distraught at their collapse. Slot thus became the fourth debutant Premier League coach to lead the table at Christmas—joining José Mourinho (2004/05), Ancelotti (2009/10), and Antonio Conte (2016/17)—the previous three all went on to lift the trophy that season.

February’s hard-earned 2-1 success over Wolves saw Liverpool hit the 60-point mark in just 25 games. Only Mourinho, with 64, had amassed a higher total from his first 25 Premier League outings.

Then came the crowning moment—a resounding 5-1 win against Spurs secured the title. Slot entered elite company as one of the few to clinch the Premier League in their maiden campaign.

Most improved player

Ryan Gravenberch arrived at Liverpool as a signing under Klopp, joining from Bayern Munich in September 2023, but it is under the guidance of fellow Dutchman Arne Slot that he has indeed thrived.

During his initial Premier League campaign in 2023/24, Gravenberch started just 12 games while making 14 appearances as a substitute, primarily deployed as a central midfielder whose versatility was highly valued by Klopp.

However, with no direct replacement brought in following Fabinho’s exit a year earlier, Slot turned to internal options before his first season and identified Gravenberch as the answer to Liverpool’s search for a holding midfielder.

Slot’s decision to reinvent Gravenberch has proven a stroke of genius. He has become one of Liverpool’s standout performers this season, growing in assurance and impact as the year has unfolded, benefiting greatly from a consistent role and regular selection.

His significance is underlined by his position as one of just three Liverpool players to start every Premier League game this season.

Gravenberch’s diverse skill set is exemplified by the range of categories where he ranks among the top six Premier League midfielders. Notably, he leads the league in aerial duel success, with a 66 per cent win rate.

He has also topped all Premier League midfielders this season with 59 interceptions and ranks highest among Liverpool players in the number of times he has regained possession.

Mohamed Salah crowned Player of the Season

The Liverpool forward has claimed the Player of the Season award for the second time in his career, having first earned the honour after his remarkable debut campaign with the club in 2017-18.

Salah has delivered one of the finest individual Premier League seasons ever witnessed, playing a pivotal role in driving the Reds to their title triumph this year, which was clinched with four games remaining in April.

The Egyptian star has contributed 28 goals and 18 assists in the league for Arne Slot’s team ahead of Sunday’s final match against Crystal Palace.

These figures put him firmly on course to finish as the division’s top scorer and leading creator.

He edged out competition for the Player of the Season prize from his Liverpool colleagues Ryan Gravenberch and Virgil van Dijk, as well as Morgan Gibbs-White, Alexander Isak, Bryan Mbeumo, Declan Rice, and Chris Wood from other clubs.

Toughest game of the season

Although Slot became the first Liverpool manager or head coach to win on his debut trip to Old Trafford—securing a 3-0 victory over Manchester United on September 1—many viewed Chelsea’s late October visit to Anfield as his side’s first major challenge of the season.

At that point, Chelsea were sixth in the Premier League standings but were beginning to find form under head coach Enzo Maresca, having won five of their previous seven games across all competitions without defeat before facing Liverpool.

Mohamed Salah and Curtis Jones scored as Liverpool overcame Chelsea to reclaim the top spot in the Premier League on Sunday.

Salah opened the scoring with a first-half penalty, and although Nicolas Jackson quickly equalised early in the second half, Curtis Jones netted the decisive goal in the 52nd minute.

Chelsea posed a tough test for the leaders, and reflecting on the game in his post-match press conference, Slot acknowledged the match was evenly contested.

“Yeah, of course, I’m pleased with the result. Winning always brings satisfaction,” he said. “In a perfect scenario, we would have dominated them entirely, but that wasn’t the case. It was an even contest, in my view. There were moments when we had to defend hard to keep a clean sheet, and it’s satisfying that we managed to do that.”

Nearly two months later, with Chelsea having risen to second place, Slot remarked, “That match was one of the few—perhaps the only one—where I felt Chelsea were better than us. That was my opinion at the time, and it hasn’t changed.”

Despite that, Liverpool still secured a 2-1 victory, courtesy of Salah’s first-half penalty and Jones’s match-winning goal shortly after the restart, demonstrating their ability to collect three points even when not at their best.

Unforgettable day at Anfield

With Liverpool’s only previous Premier League title won behind closed doors in 2019/20, fans had not seen their team crowned English champions since 1990.

This historic moment, 35 years in the making, was met with the celebration it deserved. A carnival atmosphere surrounded the Liverpool team bus as it arrived at Anfield before kickoff, while the Kop delivered one of its most passionate renditions of You’ll Never Walk Alone.

Liverpool were eager to entertain, coming close early through Salah and again when Gakpo, skilfully juggling the ball in a crowded penalty area, fired an overhead kick just wide of Vicario’s right post.

Despite Solanke’s unexpected header putting Spurs ahead against the flow of the game, a Liverpool response felt inevitable.

Szoboszlai’s perfectly timed run set up the equaliser, and Mac Allister’s powerful strike followed a relentless press that kept Spurs trapped near their corner flag.

The celebrations indeed erupted when Gakpo scored to make it 3-1, and the second half became a display of Liverpool’s dominance.

Gakpo missed a straightforward chance to secure his second by attempting to assist Salah. Still, it was fitting that the defining moment came from Liverpool’s star Egyptian, who marked his 28th Premier League goal of the season by taking a selfie with an ecstatic fan.