It's April 1st, 2023. The joke is on Liverpool. A dismal campaign rages on, the pursuit of silverware is in tatters and the Merseysiders are thrashed 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium against Manchester City, knocking the Reds into eighth place in the Premier League.
One year later, to the day, Jurgen Klopp's side perch at the summit of England's top-flight, they have defeated Brighton & Hove Albion the day before in a hard-fought, gripping Anfield contest to reclaim top spot, hours later watching title rivals Manchester City and Arsenal poke each other toward an insipid goalless stalemate.
Klopp's Reds are only two points clear and have nine fixtures left to play; next weekend, the German will seek vengeance at Old Trafford after Manchester United remarkably came from behind to knock their arch-rivals out of the FA Cup before the March international break.
There is plenty of action to be contested, twists and turns to spin further narratives from this wonderfully winding three-horse race.
But Liverpool have belied pre-season belief to mesh it all together, renewed following the sweeping summer chances to the midfield.
There was one man above all others who made his mark with an all-encompassing display in Alexis Mac Allister, who has been utterly brilliant in recent weeks and looks a real bargain after signing from Brighton in a £35m package last summer.
Alexis Mac Allister's performance vs Brighton
Mac Allister was thrown into a more defensive midfield placement than he would have hoped for throughout the first several months of his Liverpool career, and though he has been industrious and dynamic in this deep-lying position, the Argentina international's recent performances have demonstrated why he must be unleashed in a more roaming role.
Brighton (H)
2-1 win
90'
0
1
Man City (H)
1-1 draw
90'
1
0
Nottingham Forest (A)
0-1 win
90'
0
1
Luton Town (H)
4-1 win
89'
0
2
Brentford (A)
4-1 win
83'
1
0
His recent Premier League form has been emphatic, and, moreover, he posted a goal and assist apiece away against Sparta Prague in the Europa League last 16 and netted against Manchester United last month.
Against his former outfit on Sunday afternoon, Mac Allister was far and away the best player on the pitch, craving the Seagulls open on numerous occasions and placing the all-important assist for Mohamed Salah to finally get his goal, foiled on so many occasions already.
Writing in his post-match comments, the Liverpool Echo's Ian Doyle bestowed upon Mac Allister a stunning 9/10 match rating, writing: 'Probed throughout the first half with his passing and willingness to shoot. Strong in the tackle and the press and used possession intelligently, not least with superb assist for the winner.'
As per Sofascore, the 25-year-old complemented his intelligent assist for Salah's winner with success in 92% of his passes, making five key passes for his teammates, rifling off five attempts on goal, winning five ground duels and making three tackles, three clearances and one interception.
Dominik Szoboszlai made an impression after the break, having toiled in the opening half, but it's clear who is Liverpool's true lynchpin in the engine room, and Mac Allister is surely now undroppable for the club's title run-in.
He's not the only one though, with another player proving they are indispensable in Klopp's starting line-up despite not actually playing a minute against Roberto De Zerbi's fluid side.
That man is Ibrahima Konate, so season-definingly important alongside Virgil van Dijk in Liverpool's rearguard.
Why Ibrahima Konate is now undroppable
This is not to discredit Jarell Quansah. The 21-year-old centre-half has worked wonders stepping up to the first team this term and has compensated excellently after Joel Matip ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament back in December.
Matip has long been hailed for his penetrating runs and deceptive technical quality, very singular in his craft, but Quansah looks like a factory-built replacement and indeed ranks among the top 1% of central defenders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted, the top 20% for shot-creating actions and progressive passes and the top 8% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.
But against Brighton, Liverpool's right side, consisting of Quansah and remarkable full-back talent Conor Bradley, aged 20, was targetted and looked susceptible to the visitors' blistering breaks, with Danny Welbeck's thumping strike before 90 seconds leaving a nerve-wracked mood pervading Anfield.
Jakub Moder was a menace and attempted four dribbles throughout the affair, tilting onto his offensive left side. Bradley's eagerness to maraud the wing left Quansah exposed. Brighton took advantage. Or attempted to with regularity, at least.
Quansah is a high-level prospect and certainly has the trappings of a regular starter in Liverpool's squad, but he doesn't yet have the elite athleticism or ingrained powers of recovery that Konate offers so expertly.
It's most exciting that the 6 foot 5 titan is already performing at his current standard, with much room left for growth, but Konate proved without touching a green blade that he must be unleashed from the outset on the biggest occasions henceforth.
The France international is a hulking, monstrous presence of a defender but he is also deft and swift and endowed with all-registering spatial awareness.
He ranks among the top 16% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 10% for passes attempted, the top 14% for progressive passes, the top 19% for successful take-ons, the top 12% for tackles and the top 5% for aerial duel wins per 90.
In the Premier League this season, across 19 outings, Konate averages 4.4 ball recoveries per game and comes out on top in 65% of his duels. The ground he covers bespeaks his energy and ubiquity alongside his captain, and he's been described as an "athletic phenomenon" by talent scout Jacek Kulig accordingly.
Liverpool host imperilled Sheffield United on Thursday evening before travelling to Manchester next weekend. Perhaps Klopp will be disinclined to start his French phenom on both occasions after missing out on the past several weeks of action with an injury.
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But make no mistake, Konate must start against Man United, vital in closing down and nullifying the likes of Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund.
Van Dijk takes the lion's share of the plaudits more often than not, but Konate is like the flour in the cake for this remarkable Liverpool team. He is the real deal.
