On December 14th 2014, it looked as if Liverpool were a club in crisis.
Brendan Rodgers side had lost seven Premier League matches already, had crashed out of the Champions League, and sat 10 points behind Manchester United after a 3-0 humbling at Old Trafford.
Rodgers looked something of a dead man walking after that painful defeat to the Reds most bitterest of rivals, however Liverpool have not lost a Premier League games since, having turned their season around in dramatic fashion.
Rodgers side are the form team in the country at the moment.
They currently sit two points outside the top four, and face Blackburn in the quarter finals of the FA Cup at Anfield for a place in a Wembley semi final. This would have seemed little more than a fantasy prior to Christmas.
Here we have identified five of the best moments in what has been something of a roller-coaster 2014-15 season for Liverpool fans.
[ffc-gallery]
Click on Brendan Rodgers to reveal 5 best moments of Liverpool’s 2014-15 season
[/ffc-gallery]
Tottenham 0-3 Liverpool
Back in August and the game prior to Daniel Sturridge injuring himself for five months, Liverpool fans still hoped their side may have mounted another title challenge.
This performance and result at White Hart Lane may well have proved a false dawn in that respect, but the way in which the Reds swept aside a direct rival for the top four in such style was impressive non the less.
In a game that will be remembered for Mario Balotelli’s Liverpool debut, the Reds were full value for an impressive 3-0 win, with Raheem Sterling, Steven Gerrard from the spot, and superb solo goal from Alberto Moreno sealing the three points.
Liverpool 4-1 Swansea City
The initial signs of recovery had come against Arsenal a week earlier when the Reds salvaged a 2-2 draw with a 97th minute equaliser. But shortly after Christmas, things really began to click – with the 4-1 home win over Swansea perhaps the first time since August the Reds had produced a quality performance to go with a convincing result.
Adam Lallana stole the show with two second half goals, and really flourished alongside Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling in the new 3-4-2-1 formation.
Alberto Moreno and an own goal from former Red Jonjo Shelvey in the second half gave the Reds a deserved 4-1 win, and hope for what the new year had in store.
Liverpool 3-2 Tottenham
This was a very different fixture to the one in which Liverpool won so comfortably in August, with Tottenham arriving at Anfield sitting above the Reds in the race for the top four.
Lazar Markovic, Steven Gerrard from the spot and Mario Balotelli’s first league goal for the club ensured the Reds closed the gap however, and came out on the right side of a thriller at Anfield.
In what was a pulsating game with plenty of chances at either end, this result confirmed Liverpool had pulled themselves right back into the hunt for a top four finish.
Southampton 0-2 Liverpool
This game served as a timely reminder of just how vastly the Reds have improved defensively during the second half of the season.
They arrived at St Mary’s looking to close the gap on another top four rival, and did so in professional fashion. A sublime curling shot from Philippe Coutinho gave Liverpool an early lead, before Raheem Sterling sealed the three points with a close range finish with 15 minutes remaining.
It was the defensive performance that will have most pleased Brendan Rodgers however, whilst the clean sheet took Simon Mignolet above the likes of Thibaut Courtois and David De Gea for clean sheets over the course of the season.
Liverpool 2-1 Manchester City
And so to last Sunday, and perhaps one of the best performances of the Brendan Rodgers era at Anfield.
When you consider the Reds had little more than 24 hours recovery time following their Europa League exit in Istanbul, the manner in which they disposed of the Premier League champions at Anfield was even more impressive.
Stunning goals from Jordan Henderson and Philippe Coutinho once more sealed a vital and hugely significant three points. The celebrations at the final whistle from Brendan Rodgers told their own story – Liverpool are the team with all the momentum heading into the final run in this season.
Reds fans will be hoping there are yet better days to come.
