AFTER a rather exciting VAR-less FA Cup weekend, it’s back to the bread and butter of league football, with Liverpool seven points clear at the top of the table and still looking in a very strong position as the title run-in looms on the horizon.

Despite finding themselves on the wrong end of a good old-fashioned FA Cup giant-killing, followed by (another) good old-fashioned blood and thunder Merseyside derby draw, Arne Slot’s rampant Reds are still very much in the running for a fantastic treble, with their place booked in the League Cup final and a superb Champions League group phase under their collective belts.

However, while the Merseysiders have no doubt been the team of the season, their improvement from last season, at least in Premier League terms, has not been as dramatic as one might think.

When looking at the same exact fixtures as last season, where the relegated three sides in 2023-24 (Luton, Burnley, Sheffield United) correspond to the three teams promoted from the Championship (Leicester, Ipswich, Southampton), Liverpool are only two measly points better off – a rather surprising figure, with one of those points coming courtesy of last night’s Goodison Park draw (the Toffees won 2-0 in the corresponding fixture last season).

Not surprisingly, it is the surprise package of the season, Nottingham Forest, who have made the biggest improvement on last season, winning a whopping 23 (TWENTY THREE!) more points from the same games.

Another side who have blossomed in 2024-25 is Bournemouth, with Basque boss Andoni Iraola’s all-action side 10 (TEN!) points better off.

At the other end of the scale, it’s no surprise to see Tottenham propping up this table, as the Angeball continues to deflate at an alarming rate. The north Londoners are 14 points worse off this season as the pressure grows on Daniel Levy to step away from the club, although an admittedly rotten run of injuries hasn’t helped.

Manchester United, another behemoth struggling to even come close to living up to expectations, are an unlucky 13 points down, while more surprisingly, Aston Villa have suffered quite a downturn in terms of points from last season’s fixtures. Currently enjoying the heady heights of Champions League knockout football, the Villans will be hoping for a decent finish to their league campaign and another bite of the succulent Euro cherry in 2025-26.

The biggest fall from grace in general has been Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering Manchester City, with their domestic domination very much over, at least for this season. A sizeable 12 points off their performance last season in the same games, they’ll no doubt be looking to secure a top-four berth and regroup ahead of 2025-26.

In terms of just pure points after 24 games, the figures are remarkably similar to the previous table, although Brighton find themselves one point worse off here compared to eight points better off in the previous table.

So, what about the players themselves, I hear you cry, and which 2023-24 ugly ducklings have blossomed into super-striking swans this term?

Of players to have netted more than five goals this season, it is Tottenham’s dart-playing schemer, James Maddison, who has seen the biggest upturn in front of goal, doubling his four-goal tally from last season already and seeing the largest increase in his goals per 90 minute rate (a far better metric to judge a player’s improvement on).

Not surprisingly, Bournemouth are well represented here, courtesy of Dango Ouattara and Justin Kluivert while Brentford’s in-form duo Bryan Mbuemo and Yoane Wissa are ranked well.

If you are wondering where high-flyers Nottingham Forest players rank here, well, their main-man and potent poacher, Chris Wood, has seen an upturn of goals per 90 by 0.09, not quite enough to make the top 10.

*minimum 6 goals in 2024-25

The name Mohamed Salah continues to fill the record books, with the Egyptian magician already four goals up on his 2023-24 Premier League tally. In terms of goal involvements, it’s the Liverpool man who tops the charts, averaging an incredible 1.5 goals or assists every 90 minutes.

Again, Ouattara and Kluivert do well here, but shout out to Amad Diallo who has already registered 10 more goal involvements in the Premier League this season than last, increasing his out per 90 by 0.2 (more impressive than it sounds) and providing at least one bright spark in a dull season for Manchester United.

*minimum 10 goal involvements in 2024-25

So, while Liverpool look set to get their hands on the silverware that matters, in a just footballing world, Nottingham Forest will be rewarded for their heroic improvement this term with a Champions League spot, with Bournemouth too booking their place in next season’s continental adventures.

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