Man City Win Premier League's '2018 Title' by Narrow Margin Despite Recent Slip

Statistics have revealed that Manchester City and Liverpool both picked up the same number of Premier League points in 2018, with the former topping the year's

Statistics have revealed that Manchester City and Liverpool both picked up the same number of Premier League points in 2018, with the former topping the year's league table on goal difference.

The Citizens strolled to the league title last season, as Pep Guardiola's swashbuckling brand of football saw the club bulldoze their way past the opposition to a 100-point-grabbing triumph. This season, however, there's a new sheriff in town, with Jürgen Klopp's gunslinging Reds galavanting to the top of the table - where they currently sit seven points ahead of City.

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According to data provided Opta, the two Premier League titans have matched each other over the course of the year, with the Citizens edging their rivals by six on goal difference. In total, Guardiola's side netted on 99 occasions in 2018, to Liverpool's 84. However - and who'd have believed this last year - the Reds have conceded fewer; 22 to City's 31.

With big money behemoth Virgil van Dijk operating as a solid granite blockade at the heart of Liverpool's defence, they've only conceded eight goals in 20 matches this season. The transformation in the Reds' play has been exceptional, with Klopp transforming from a heart-over-head, tactically naive operator into a shrewd, calculating football wizard.

Position	Team	Points
1st	Manchester City	88
2nd	Liverpool	88
3rd	Tottenham Hotspur	85
4th	Manchester United	72
5th	Chelsea	68
6th	Arsenal	63
7th	West Ham United	51
8th	Bournemouth	50
9th	Everton	49
10th	Leicester City	48
11th	Crystal Palace	44
12th	Watford	44
13th	Newcastle United	43
14th	Brighton & Hove Albion	43
15th	Burnley	35
16th	Southampton	31
17th	Wolverhampton Wanderers	29
18th	Huddersfield Town	23
19th	Cardiff City	18
20th	Swansea City	17
21st	West Bromwich Albion	15
22nd	Fulham	14
23rd	Stoke City	13

Conversely, City have already managed to exceed their number of losses (2) from last season, succumbing to three defeats in quick succession in the 2018/19 campaign. Thursday's crunch clash between the two sides will no doubt be a landmark moment in the season, and an ideal way to kick off 2019.

In other news, City are believed to be sweating over the fitness of Fernandinho ahead of Thursday's big game, after the veteran midfielder was scythed down by Pierre-Emile Højbjerg in Sunday's 3-1 win over Southampton. The 33-year-old had only just recovered from injury, and is now a doubt for the massive match at the Etihad Stadium.