Four key players who guided Liverpool to their second Premier League title

Liverpool sealed their second Premier League title on Sunday with their 5-1 victory against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield that saw them take an unassailable 15-point lead with four games to spare.

The following are the players who were key to their title charge in Arne Slot's debut season:

MOHAMED SALAH

As another season comes to a close, Mohamed Salah is on the verge of joining Premier League great Thierry Henry as the only player to win four Golden Boot awards for most goals scored in a campaign, with the Egyptian now on 28 strikes.

The 32-year-old has been so far ahead of the competition that he could still get his hands on the trophy without scoring again.

In a stellar campaign, where his contract negotiations often stole the headlines, Salah justified his two-year extension by putting up exceptional numbers.

He has been directly involved in 46 Premier League goals this term (which includes 18 assists) — a record for a player in a 38-game season — and he could even breach the 50-mark before the campaign wraps up.

Individual numbers aside, Salah is also revelling in making the players around him much better in a season of reinvention under Slot.

DOMINIK SZOBOSZLAI

Liverpool had to rebuild their entire midfield after their last title-winning season and Dominik Szoboszlai has become the team's new engine in the middle of the park driving them on with his immense work rate.

With the energy to cover a lot of ground off the ball, Szoboszlai routinely runs over 11 kilometres a game and is the key man in Liverpool's midfield press to win the ball back or force turnovers.

Slot also challenged Szoboszlai to improve his output in the final third and the Hungary captain responded, most notably assisting Salah and scoring another in a 2-0 win at Manchester City that gave them a psychological edge in the title race.

“Last year I was playing as an eight and more as a defensive part of the game than offensively. This time I am a little bit more offensive than defensive, and I'm still doing the work for the defence part,” Szoboszlai said.

“He [Slot] changed my game a lot and I improved a lot under him.”

RYAN GRAVENBERCH

For a player who struggled to break into the starting line-up last season under Juergen Klopp, Ryan Gravenberch is now one of the first names on the team sheet under Slot.

The Dutch manager has used the 22-year-old's versatility to shield his back line and play in his midfield double-pivot while his ability to quickly initiate attacks with his trademark turn has not gone unnoticed.

Gravenberch has a superb knack for reading opponents' intentions and cutting out passing lanes, putting him among the leading players in the league for interceptions, while he is also adept at winning back possession.

No wonder then that he has been one of three Liverpool players to start every game this season.

VIRGIL VAN DIJK

Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk is the one outfield player to have played every minute in 34 Premier League games, an ever-present colossus in the defence despite his own issues with contract negotiations with the club.

Van Dijk will be 34 in the close season but the Dutchman has shown no signs of slowing down, producing consistently superb performances even though his Liverpool future was in doubt, convincing the club to give him two more years.

No player has completed more passes while he is one of five players to make at least 50 interceptions this season.

But more than just the numbers, he has marshalled the backline as Liverpool sealed the title with the second-best defensive record in the league. 

Reuters