A Quiet Moment Before Christmas Eve

After the nineteenth round of the Premier League, the gaps in the table were finally beginning to widen.

Liverpool had played two fewer matches than their rivals because they had traveled to West Asia for two FIFA Club World Cup games.

Those two fixtures would be made up later in the season.

The standings now looked like this:

Manchester City led with 53 points from 17 wins and two draws.

Liverpool had played two fewer games and sat second with 49 points from 16 wins and a draw.

Chelsea were third with 47 points from 15 wins, two draws, and two losses.

Manchester United stood fourth with 42 points from 13 wins, three draws, and three losses.

Further back, Arsenal were fifth with 32 points, while Tottenham Hotspur were sixth with 31.

Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur had clearly lost control of their chances in the race for the top four.

Liverpool trailed Manchester City by four points, but they had two games in hand.

If they won both, Liverpool would move back above Manchester City.

That was why everyone said the Premier League title race this season had become a duel between Liverpool and Manchester City.

As one outlet put it, "In past years, the Premier League was a battle among the Big Six. This year, it's turned into a two-horse race between Liverpool and Manchester City."

Their fight for the title was destined to go down to the wire.

It was worth noting that Liverpool's two games in hand were a double-edged sword.

On one hand, they had a chance to take the lead.

On the other, a crowded schedule of makeup games would put an extra strain on their players.

Chen Anno still led the scoring chart with 23 goals.

But Mbappe was closing in, with 22 goals