Liverpool's success in the 2013-14 season took the Premier League by surprise. Expected to compete for a top-four place, the Reds instead embarked on a shock title challenge while playing free-flowing, exciting football.
Indeed, at one stage they looked destined to end their 24-year wait for a title courtesy of 11 straight wins, but defeat to Chelsea followed by a three-goal collapse against Crystal Palace ultimately cost them as Manchester City clinched the crown on the final day.
A summer of upheaval followed, including the £75m exit of Luis Suarez - scorer of 31 of Liverpool's 101 league goals the previous season. The Reds used that money to sign the likes of Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, Emre Can, Lazar Markovic, Dejan Lovren, Alberto Moreno and Mario Balotelli as they looked to go one better this time around.
Another title challenge never materialised, however, and their return to the Champions League for the first time since 2009-10 also proved to be a brief sojourn in what was, overall, a disappointing campaign.
Here, Sports Mole looks back at a topsy-turvy 10 months for the Anfield outfit.
© Getty Images
August
A tricky start awaited Liverpool in the 2014-15 season, with a much-changed Southampton side providing the opening-day opposition. The Saints put up a fight at Anfield, but goals from Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge - two of the stars of the previous campaign - saw the hosts get off to a winning start with a 2-1 victory.
It was a battle of last season's top two next up, but Man City provided an early glimpse of how far off the pace the Reds would prove to be with a 3-1 triumph at the Etihad Stadium. The arrival of Balotelli in August sparked contrasting emotions amongst fans, but the early signs were good for the Italian.
He made a promising debut at White Hart Lane at the end of the month and, although he did miss a fine chance to mark his first appearance back in England with a goal, his profligacy made little difference as the Reds swept Tottenham Hotspur aside 3-0.
© Getty Images
September
That was to be as good as it got for Balotelli, however, and Liverpool were dealt another major blow in the final third before a ball was kicked in September when Sturridge picked up an injury on international duty. Setbacks and new injuries meant that he would not start another game until February, leaving the Reds without both of the strikers that had proved so deadly in 2013-14.
As a result, the goals dried up somewhat in September, starting with a shock home loss to Aston Villa - fast becoming a bogey team for Brendan Rodgers's men. A first Champions League night at Anfield for almost five years provided the opportunity to bounce back, but only a 93rd-minute Steven Gerrard penalty prevented another embarrassment at home, this time to little-known Ludogorets.
A second consecutive league defeat followed, this time to West Ham United having conceded two goals in the opening 10 minutes, and their form was such that a League Cup third-round meeting with Championship high-flyers Middlesbrough was a very real banana skin. It turned out to be an epic encounter at Anfield, with Boro scoring deep into extra time to force penalties and a record-breaking shootout eventually ending 14-13 to the home side.
An unconvincing month looked like finishing with a morale-boosting derby victory over Everton courtesy of a Gerrard free kick, but Phil Jagielka's stunner in injury time rescued a 1-1 draw for the Toffees to leave Liverpool without a league win in September.
October
October began in disappointing fashion as Liverpool were beaten by Basel, the team expected to be their closest challengers for second place in their Champions League group. They returned to winning ways in the league just three days later, however, and made it two wins on the bounce for the first time this season by edging a madcap affair against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road.
The Reds looked on course for a straightforward victory courtesy of a Richard Dunne own goal, but four goals in the 87th minute or later, including another own goal, gave Rodgers's side a major scare before they came through 3-2 against the relegation candidates.
© Getty Images
Even so, their performances were not instilling great belief in supporters, and the visit of Real Madrid, in the midst of what would become a record 22-match winning streak in all competitions, only looked like going one way. Indeed, the Spanish giants were 3-0 up at half time and Liverpool were slightly fortunate that it didn't get any more embarrassing after the break.
A goalless draw at home to Hull City did little to lighten the mood on Merseyside, but there was something to cheer about in the final game of the month as late goals from Balotelli and Lovren - both of whom had received plenty of criticism since their summer moves - saw the Reds overturn a one-goal deficit to dramatically progress into the quarter-finals of the League Cup.
November
If October showed some shoots of recovery from the poor start, a disastrous November quickly killed them off. The Reds lost their opening four matches of the month to plunge into further trouble, with defeats at the hands of Newcastle United and Crystal Palace particularly disappointing moments.
A visit to the Bernabeu was expected to bring with it a hammering, but a second-string Liverpool applied themselves well and limited Madrid to a 1-0 victory in the Spanish capital - a result that was seen by some as a positive one for Rodgers's side. Just four days later Chelsea were the opposition and, despite Can's deflected early opener, the unbeaten champions-to-be came back to record a 2-1 victory.
© AFP
The losing streak finally came to an end in the unlikely surroundings of Sofia, but Liverpool could only manage a 2-2 draw with Ludogorets to put them on the brink of a Champions League exit. The Reds did at least finish the month on a high courtesy of a late 1-0 victory over Stoke City, but by that stage they were languishing in the bottom half and already 16 points off the pace-setters.
December
Liverpool made it two wins on the trot with a come-from-behind 3-1 victory at Leicester City in their first match of the month, but could not back that up four days later as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Sunderland at Anfield. That was not ideal preparation for their must-win home clash against Basel, and sure enough a limp display saw the 10-man Reds crash out of the Champions League at the group stage courtesy of a 1-1 draw.
A change was needed, and Rodgers duly came up with one. Out went Simon Mignolet in favour of Brad Jones, and in came a new 3-4-2-1 formation. It was a brave move to trial it away to Manchester United and, although Liverpool's eventual 3-0 defeat suggests that it was an unsuccessful experiment, the scoreline could have been a lot different but for a memorable display from David de Gea in goal.
The novel new formation from Rodgers began to bear fruit, and a 3-1 victory away to Championship leaders Bournemouth not only saw the Reds progress into the semi-finals of the League Cup, but also provided one of their most convincing performances of the season. A 2-2 draw with Arsenal, thanks to a 97th-minute Martin Skrtel header, followed before Liverpool saw out the year with back-to-back victories over Burnley and Swansea City respectively.
January
Liverpool went into the New Year with increased optimism following just one defeat in their last 10 games, but the opening two days of 2015 were painful ones for the Reds. Gerrard scored twice from the spot to hand Liverpool a two-goal lead over Leicester, but the relegation-threatened Foxes fought back to rescue a draw at Anfield. A day later, the iconic Liverpool skipper announced his intention to leave the club at the end of the season.
© Getty Images
Tributes poured in for the legendary midfielder, and he once again showcased his importance to the team with a second consecutive brace, this time to nudge the Reds past AFC Wimbledon in the third round of the FA Cup. Wins over Sunderland and Aston Villa gave Rodgers's side three consecutive victories in all competitions for the first time this season, and the optimism continued through an encouraging 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final.
A stalemate with Bolton Wanderers in the FA Cup fourth round forced a replay, but their League Cup run came to an end at Stamford Bridge as Branislav Ivanovic's extra-time header gave Chelsea a 1-0 win in the second leg. The performance gave more cause for belief, however, and a 2-0 victory to round off an eight-match month saw Sturridge make a scoring return in addition to the now-restored Mignolet keeping a third straight league clean sheet.
February
Suddenly, Liverpool's season was not beyond salvation, and they attacked another busy month with verve in February. Two late goals saw them progress into the fifth round of the FA Cup at the expense of Bolton, while a dull Merseyside stalemate against Everton was followed up by a five-goal thriller that saw Balotelli finally notch his first league goal for the club to hand the Reds a 3-2 victory over Spurs.
© Getty Images
Rodgers's side were forced to come from behind once again to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals, while Balotelli got another late goal at home to Besiktas in the first leg of their Europa League last-32 clash. Philippe Coutinho's wonder strike then put the Reds on their way to a 2-0 victory over Southampton, but a successful month had a disappointing end as they were eliminated from the Europa League via a penalty shootout.
March
That defeat to Besiktas was the first inside 90 minutes for 18 matches, and a Champions League berth was fast becoming a realistic possibility once again. An in-form Coutinho was the difference as Liverpool began March with victory over champions Man City, while Jordan Henderson was also beginning to find the goal trail and made it two in as many games on the way to a win over Burnley.
Another replay was needed after a goalless draw with Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup, but there appeared to be no stopping Liverpool in the league. A 1-0 victory over Swansea, and another strike for Henderson, made it five league wins on the bounce for the Reds and 10 in a 13-match unbeaten run since their loss at the hands of Man United in December.
As it happened, the Red Devils were next up for Liverpool, who went into the match knowing that three points would see them leapfrog Louis van Gaal's men into the Champions League spots. What was meant to be the completion of their turnaround soon became a disaster, however. Juan Mata scored twice in a 2-1 victory for the visitors that also saw Wayne Rooney miss a penalty, but the match will be remembered for Gerrard getting sent off just 48 seconds after coming on as a half-time sub.
© Getty Images
April
Following the defeat to United, April's opener against fellow top-four candidates Arsenal was bordering on a must-win game for Rodgers's side. However, they were blown away by three goals in the first half and also saw another man sent off in a 4-1 defeat at the Emirates.
Progress continued to come in the FA Cup as Coutinho's goal saw Liverpool past Blackburn to book a Wembley semi-final, while a 2-0 victory over Newcastle saw them return to winning ways in the league too. It was downhill from there, though, starting with a terrible display at Wembley to throw away their last chance of silverware as they crashed out of the FA Cup at the hands of Villa.
A top-four spot was still a possibility, although you wouldn't have known it by Liverpool's performances towards the end of the month. A dour 0-0 draw with West Brom offered fans little to shout about before the Reds' ace up their sleeve, a game in hand, was wasted in a 1-0 defeat to relegation-threatened Hull.
May
Man United's own poor form gave Liverpool a glimmer of hope for a late Champions League charge, and Gerrard kept that alive in the final month of his time in England with a late winner against 10-man QPR at Anfield. The skipper's farewell tour passed through Stamford Bridge next and again he scored with his head to cancel out John Terry's opener, rescuing a point for his side.
It was not enough to save the club's top-four ambitions, however, and they went into their final home match of the campaign with Gerrard very much the centre of attention. Cruelly, it ended in disappointment on the pitch as Liverpool let a lead slip to lose 3-1 to Crystal Palace, sending the famous number eight out on a losing note.
© Getty Images
It got even worse for Gerrard in his final outing as a Premier League player away at Stoke, where Liverpool were hit for six. On a personal level, the skipper did score his side's only goal, but it was by no means the sort of exit that he would have been hoping for.
Barney Corkhill
