Black clouds were gathering over Anfield this morning, as news reached Merseyside that, due to the threat to public health posed by the Coronavirus, Premier League officials will meet on Monday afternoon with a view to abandoning the football season.
Liverpool last won the top-flight title 30 years ago, and, with a huge, seemingly unassailable 22-point lead this season, Jürgen Klopp's men are virtual certainties to finish top in May.
They remain unbeaten in the League, and many are - in secret - already celebrating this season's success. But, with Italy having shut down its domestic football programme, other sports cancelling fixtures, and even this summer's Olympic Games in Japan under threat, the League have decided to act, and are almost certain to call a halt to the season on Monday.
A spokesman said:
"Bill Shankly once famously made his quip about football being more important than 'life and death', but we have to be realistic. This isn't a case of just one person's life or death. It's the whole world that is at risk. We'll see what happens on Monday."
Klopp reacted predictably to the news. He said:
"Scheisse! Das ist unglaublich!"
Along the M62, in Manchester, giggling could be heard.
