Liverpool’s Premier League title: When can it be won, and what happens next?

The title is within touching distance for Liverpool.

They require one point from their final five league games to earn their second Premier League trophy, and English record-equalling 20th overall, to round off a remarkable first season in charge for head coach Arne Slot.

Celebrations could begin as early as Sunday afternoon and will continue long after the campaign and their trophy parade are over.

Here’s The Athletic’s guide to what could be the day the title returned to Anfield.

What do Liverpool need to clinch the Premier League title today?

After Arsenal’s 2-2 home draw against Crystal Palace on Wednesday, Liverpool are only one point short of being confirmed as title winners, so a draw at home against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday — kick-off is at 4:30pm BST (11:30am ET) — will be enough to start the party.

That seems eminently achievable, given the teams have already met three times this season, with Liverpool winning 6-3 away in the league in December and then prevailing 4-1 on aggregate in a two-leg Carabao Cup semi-final just over a month later. They have scored four goals in their past three home games against Spurs across all competitions.

If Tottenham do their first win at Anfield since May 2011, Liverpool will have to wait until next weekend for their next chance to complete the job.

Second-placed Arsenal play before them in that round of matches, at home against Bournemouth in the 5:30pm (12:30pm ET) kick-off on Saturday, May 3. If they were to fail to win that match, Slot’s side would be crowned champions. If Arsenal won, Liverpool would travel to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea the following day (4:30pm BST/11:30am ET on Sunday, May 4), needing a draw to sew up the title.

How big a surprise is it that Liverpool are going to win the title?

Few people predicted before the 2024-25 season began that Liverpool would be its champions. The consensus was that Manchester City, title winners for the previous four years, or Arsenal, runners-up to City in the previous two, would once again be the sides fighting to lift the trophy.

Club icon Jurgen Klopp departed as manager in the summer after almost nine years with Liverpool and his replacement, Slot, had an impressive track record in his native Netherlands but was an unknown quantity in English football. Pair that with a quiet summer transfer window, which saw only Italy forward Federico Chiesa signed, and a season of transition was felt to be on the cards.

Slot had other ideas. From the moment he arrived, he spoke about improving on the previous campaign, which had seen Liverpool competing with City and Arsenal in the title race until results fell away in the final month or so. He felt the squad he inherited was good enough to challenge at the top of the table, and he has been proven right.

City and Arsenal have unexpectedly regressed, but that should take nothing away from Liverpool, who have been the best side in the country and are deservedly set to be crowned champions, with a 90-plus points season still possible.

Liverpool have thrived while Pep Guardiola’s champions City have had a difficult season (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Why is this such a big moment for their fans?

Winning the league is always a big moment, but this will be particularly special.

Liverpool ended their 30-year wait for their 19th domestic title, and first of the Premier League era, in 2020. However, the Covid-19 pandemic ensured there were no supporters inside Anfield to watch captain Jordan Henderson lift the trophy. Government restrictions to limit the spread of the virus also meant there was no trophy parade through the city or any such opportunity for fans to celebrate with the players.

When discussing a possible league title this season, star forward Mohamed Salah has been one of the more vocal players in pointing out that they didn’t have the chance to celebrate their success properly five years ago and saying that has served as motivation during the campaign.

Manager Kenny Dalglish, centre, celebrates Liverpool’s 1990 title with assistants, Ronnie Moran, left, and Roy Evans (Dan Smith/Allsport/Getty Images/Hulton Archive)

It has been 35 years since Liverpool supporters saw their team lift the league champions’ trophy in person, so for many, this would be their first time. There will be no restrictions on a party, unlike 2020, and there will be a parade.

There is also the considerable incentive of Liverpool drawing level with arch-rivals Manchester United’s English record of 20 league title wins.

Will they lift the trophy today if they are confirmed as champions?

No. As per Premier League tradition, the champions get presented with the trophy at their final home game of a season — unless the race goes to the final day and the team concerned are playing away in that round of fixtures.

Liverpool’s last game of this league campaign is at Anfield against Crystal Palace on its final day, Sunday, May 25, and that is when captain Virgil van Dijk will get his hands on the trophy.

Will there be a trophy parade?

Yes. Liverpool fans will be free to flock onto the streets to catch a glimpse of the team as they parade the trophy around the city. While plans are yet to be revealed, the event is set to take place on Monday, May 26 — the day after the final game of the season, and a public holiday in the UK.

The club’s most recent trophy parades came after winning the Champions League in 2019 and the Carabao Cup and FA Cup three years later. The city became a sea of Liverpool red, with the attendance at the Champions League parade estimated to be around 750,000 and for the domestic cup double approximately 500,000.

On both occasions, the route was the same: a 13.5-kilometre journey around Liverpool, beginning at Allerton Maze and passing through Queens Drive, Mill Bank, West Derby Road, Islington, Leeds Street and The Strand, before finishing on Blundell Street.

Liverpool parade the Champions League trophy through the city in 2019 (Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)

How much will they earn from winning the title?

Premier League prize money is worked out through a combination of factors.

All 20 clubs earn an equal share of £86.9million ($115.8m) through domestic and international broadcasting rights and a further £8.2m via commercial income. The remainder of annual earnings is decided by final league position — merit payments with each position closer to the top of the table worth an additional £2.8m — and facility fees, which are awarded every time a club are featured on live TV in the UK. With a month to go, Liverpool are set to be televised domestically 29 times this season from their 38 Premier League matches.

City, last season’s title winners, banked £175.9million in prize money. Liverpool were third in the 2023-24 prize-money table with £171m, so are only likely to see a marginal increase to around the same figure City received.

Some of Liverpool’s commercial deals may also include title bonuses, however. The Athletic reported earlier this year that the club will net an extra £2million from their kit deal with Nike when they seal the title.

Earnings will be offset by bonuses paid out to players for winning the league, with Liverpool often incentivising the contracts they offer to squad members so they reward success.

Finishing in the top five domestically also means Champions League football again come September. Despite their exit in the round of 16, Liverpool coming first in the competition’s league phase this season helped them earn around £83.8million through a shared prize pot, on-pitch performance and their ‘value pillar’, which is based on clubs’ domestic TV deals and previous results at European level.

Will they be favourites to win the title next season?

Key players Salah and Van Dijk signing new contracts and committing their futures to the club is a huge positive and increases Liverpool’s chances of successfully defending the title. They are hugely influential figures on and off the field and, assuming their levels do not fall off a cliff as they move deeper into their thirties, Liverpool will surely remain contenders.

England international Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to leave under freedom of contract once his deal expires in the summer, but Liverpool will have the opportunity to strengthen the weaker areas of their squad while maintaining stability and already having title-winning foundations in place.

Salah and Van Dijk have been hugely influential this season (Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Their dominant title win this season should see them positioned as favourites heading into the next one, but the expectation is that Arsenal and City will put up a stronger challenge when the games begin again in August. Arteta’s north Londoners look better placed to do so, especially if they strengthen their attack over the summer, while Pep Guardiola’s team have more questions to answer after their major dip during the middle of this season.

It is difficult to see how any other side beyond those two makes the significant leap it would require to be considered serious contenders.

(Top photo: Henderson lifts the Premier League trophy at an empty Anfield in 2020; Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

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