Virgil van Dijk has been quick to point out to anybody questioning Liverpool’s title triumph that the Reds “won it by a mile” and will be back to defend their crown in style next season.
Records have tumbled around Jurgen Klopp’s side in 2019-20.
A first English top-flight crown in 30 years is the end result for a team that fell agonisingly short in pursuit of a much-coveted piece of silverware 12 months ago.
Liverpool have set remarkable standards during what has been a memorable period of trophy-collecting for the club.
They have, however, got over a title line with no supporters in attendance and with rule changes introduced on the back of a coronavirus-enforced break.
Van Dijk insists that has taken none of the shine off the achievement for those at Anfield, with the Reds having shown across a prolonged period of time that they are the best team in England.
A commanding Dutch defender told Sky Sports of Liverpool finally getting their hands on a Premier League prize: “We are all human beings, we all have emotions going through your head, feelings.
“We all knew that when we got back to playing we had to get six points and we would be champions. Obviously that is going to be in your head, whether you like it or not.
“When Chelsea won against City it made it a little bit easier. We played a few games where we should have done better, but we shouldn’t focus on those things.
“We have had an outstanding season, we have only lost twice. No-one can say anything about our season, we are the deserved champions.
“Seven games before the end of the season – that never happened before.
“Everyone can have their opinion about substitutes and water breaks, but we shouldn’t focus on that. We won it by a mile. Well deserved and next season we will try and retain it.”
Liverpool could have been forgiven for feeling sorry for themselves after being pipped by Manchester City to the title in 2019 by a solitary point.
Klopp, though, has instilled a winning mentality in his troops, with Van Dijk adding: “It's very difficult to stay consistent, as we were this year.
“When we played the last game of the [last] season against Wolves here, Brighton were losing and in the end City won it there.
“Obviously we were disappointed but it was like, 'We're going to get it next year.' That's the feeling that we all had.
“The focus that the manager, especially, has brought in is that each game that's ahead of you, that's the most important thing.
“We're not going to focus on what's two weeks in advance, we focus on the game ahead of us. If it's Wednesday or Saturday, we don't think further. That mentality helped us a lot.
“We always find a way to win, we've been doing it all season. We had big results – Aston Villa away and Wolves away – those kinds of moments where we just dig deep, find a way and got the result that we needed.”