Liverpool’s title challenge is completely different to failed challenges of the past

Liverpool are four points clear at the top of the Premier League table with 15 games left to play, four points clear of champions Manchester City.

At Anfield on Saturday, they came back from a couple of setbacks to record a 4-3 victory over Crystal Palace - the club that put the final nail in the coffin of Liverpool's title push in 2014. With 60 points from 23 games, no side in Premier League history has failed to win the title from this position. And only Manchester City (2017/18) and Chelsea (2005/06) have had more points at this stage of the campaign than Jurgen Klopp's team. With Mohamed Salah banging in goals and Virgil van Dijk marshalling Liverpool's defence, it is looking increasingly likely that it could be their year. They are in great form, with the tactical flexibility and strength in depth required to win the title. As they showed on Saturday against Palace, Liverpool also have the battling qualities needed to go all the way. Yet, some Liverpool fans still seem reticent to allow themselves to believe that they are about to end their 29-year wait to be champions. However, there is arguably more to suggest that they will win the Premier League this seasons than reasons to expect another slip, even if they are experiencing some injury troubles at the moment. Of Liverpool's remaining 15 games, they only dropped two points in the reverse fixtures - a 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. In the first half of the season, Liverpool gained 43 points from 45 against the teams they will face in their remaining Premier League fixtures. Eight of their 15 matches will be at Anfield, where they last lost a league game in April 2017. There are some tricky games ahead. The trip to Old Trafford to play Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's resurgent Manchester United looks to be the toughest fixture they will face. Klopp's side also have to play Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Anfield. However, if they can match that total of 43 points from 45, or even gain 40 points from the next 15 games - which allows for a defeat and a draw - they should be champions with 100 points, matching the points total by City last season. If City were to win every Premier League game between now and the end of the season, they would finish with 101 points. Even for Pep Guardiola's side, this may be a tough ask. They have to travel to Old Trafford to play United, and also host Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham. Of the games City still have to play, they dropped nine points in the reverse fixtures this season - Guardiola's team lost to Leicester City, Chelsea and Crystal Palace. If they are to catch and then overhaul Liverpool, they may not be able to drop any points in their remaining 15 Premier League matches this season. However, doubts still seem to remain regarding Liverpool's ability to finish the job. Fans of rival clubs, and even some Liverpool fans, might be expecting them to falter in this title charge because Liverpool teams of the past couldn't get over the line. But the unsuccessful title bids in 2002, 2009 and 2014 bear no relevance at all on the fortunes on the current side. In 2002, Liverpool finished in second place, a distant eight points behind champions Arsenal. Under Rafa Benitez in 2009, Liverpool finished four points behind Manchester United, who they beat 4-1 at Old Trafford. It was a missed opportunity as they had Steven Gerrard in the form of his life, Fernando Torres still scoring goals and Xabi Alonso in midfield. They also managed to outscore a United team which featured Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov. But that Liverpool team dropped far too many points in games they should have won. They recorded 11 draws, seven of them at Anfield, and failed to beat newly-promoted Stoke City in both games, as well as drawing with Wigan Athletic, West Ham United, Fulham and Hull City. This was something that cost earlier Liverpool sides, particularly during the 1996/97 season when Roy Evans' team were five points clear at the start of January but ended up finishing in fourth place, seven points behind United. Liverpool played wonderful attacking football, but faltered in big games - losing 3-1 at Anfield to Man United - and when they were expected to win - losing 2-1 at home to Coventry City, who were bottom of the table at the time. "It suggests to me that at key moments there was either a lack of leadership or even confidence that they could see it through," Jamie Carragher writes about the team in Men in White Suits, a book about Liverpool players of the 1990s. The current Liverpool side have no trouble swatting aside the also-rans. They recorded 4-0 victories over West Ham, Newcastle United and Bournemouth already this season. They have only dropped points against Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal, beating every other team they have faced. Gerrard's slip and the capitulation against Palace are cited as the moments Liverpool lost the title in 2014, which they were, but they were hampered by having a shallow squad. In the game against Chelsea at Anfield, Brendan Rodgers had to select players such as Aly Cissokho, Kolo Toure and Luis Alberto on the bench. Jon Flanagan played at left-back, Martin Skrtel was in central defence and Lucas Leiva was in midfield. Liverpool had been on an 11-game winning run, propelled by the genius of Luis Suarez. They were leading the league with weeks to go when few expected them to even qualify for the Champions League that season. They overachieved and when they ran into trouble, they didn't have the options available to change their approach. Again, Klopp has no such problems. Liverpool have altered their tactics to combat teams sitting deep against them, using a 4-2-3-1 formation with Salah as the centre-forward rather than on the wing. Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri are arguably the ideal squad players, and have proved to be two excellent signings. Fabinho has impressed in central midfield but he has also filled in at central defence with Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren out injured. The Brazilian can also play at right-back and may have to with James Milner suspended and Trent Alexander-Arnold injured. Shaqiri links up well with Salah and offers Liverpool something different in the final third. He has the craft to cut open teams sitting in a low defensive block and gives opposition defenders another headache alongside Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Salah. Liverpool will, at the very least, take the Premier League title race to the final weeks of the season. There is certainly no cause for fans of the club to worry or think it will go wrong because it has in the past. They should start enjoying it and embracing the title push if they haven't already. Something like this doesn't happen often, especially not competing against a club with limitless resources. Liverpool have had to box extremely clever to put themselves in this position and unlike their title pushes in 2014, 2009, 2002 or 1997, this isn't a flash in the pan. They look certain to be competitive at the top of the table over the next couple of seasons.