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LIVERPOOL.  – Jurgen Klopp hailed “exceptional” Liverpool after they made it an entire calendar year without an English Premier League football defeat as the runaway leaders beat Sheffield United 2-0 on Thursday night.

Klopp’s side moved 13 points clear of second-placed Leicester thanks to goals from Egypt forward Mohamed Salah and Senegal winger Sadio Mane at Anfield.

Liverpool made a total of 969 passes against Sheffield United. That is the highest number by any team ever in a Premier League match.Liverpool’s 19th win in 20 league games this season completed an incredible 12 months for a team at the peak of their powers.

The Reds haven’t lost in 37 league games since a defeat at Manchester City on January 3, 2019 and it looks certain they will win the English title for the first time since  1990.

With a game in hand to further bolster their advantage, it would take an astonishing collapse to deprive Liverpool of their holy grail.

“It says a lot of positive things. I have not enough words for it, it is exceptional,” Klopp said. “I’m really happy and really proud of the boys. We should not take things like this for granted.”

Winners of their last 18 home league games, Liverpool are unbeaten in 51 top-flight matches at Anfield dating back to April 2017. As if it wasn’t hard enough to beat Liverpool already, they are proving more impregnable than ever lately.

This was their fifth consecutive top-flight clean-sheet – the first time they have managed that since 2007 – and they completed more passes than any team in one match in the Premier League era.

“The way we controlled Sheffield United was exceptional. In possession we were incredible, we were calm but lively as well. The goals we scored were exceptional,” Klopp said. – AFP