As one of the Premier League's foremost pundits, Jamie Carragher is no stranger to dividing public opinion. However, in April 2022, the former Liverpool defender made a particularly controversial claim when he suggested the rivalry between his old club and Manchester City was "the greatest, most intense and highest-quality" in English football history.
Writing in The Telegraph, Carragher noted at the time that "the two best teams in England are the two best teams in the world, led by the two greatest coaches of their generation."
Immediately he was dismissed by purists who insisted the plaudit belonged instead to the iconic Manchester United and Arsenal sides of the early 2000s as Sir Alex Ferguson faced off against Arsene Wenger. But given the unparalleled hegemony of Pep Guardiola's City and Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool over much of the past decade, it can't be denied that Carragher's argument was compelling.
Out of the 456 points available to each across the four Premier League seasons between 2018 and 2022, City and Liverpool amassed 358 and 357 points, respectively.