Who won the month? Liverpool
Early April had long been scheduled for Manchester City's Premier League coronation, the rubber-stamping of the start of their new mini-era. From the moment they were drawn against Liverpool in the Champions League quarterfinal, though, the potential for some of their roof to cave in was there. Within the space of six days, they had twice been picked off by Jurgen Klopp, with an incredible second-half collapse against Manchester United sandwiched in between.
City soon wrapped up the mathematics of the title -- restoring order with a commanding win at Tottenham -- but there is, somehow, a downside to winning the league early: football's shortening attention span tends to move on to something else.
That something else is Liverpool. Their something else is Mohamed Salah. He led the 19-minute, shock-and-awe demolition of City in the first half at a thunderous Anfield, before Klopp's widely doubted back line showed considerable backbone to deny Pep Guardiola an away goal. The second leg, for all of City's early bluster, was about keeping them at arm's length.
Then came Roma, and an expectation of another all-out assault. Five goals in the space of 33 minutes. Salah, the PFA Player of the Year, revelling in his zone, with an adrenaline-soaked supporting cast. City may be better, but Liverpool are the right here and right now.