Liverpool halted the march to its first-ever Premier League title last week, and for good reason.
The league suspended play through April 4 after Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta tested positive for the coronavirus. The British government recommended Monday that citizens commit to social distancing and avoid large crowds "for some weeks," leaving the Reds' eventual coronation up in the air.
John Oliver, a diehard Liverpool fan and host of HBO's "Last Week Tonight," focused entirely on the latest surrounding the coronavirus in Sunday's episode. That is, save for the 30 seconds (and change) he allowed himself and his viewers to voice disappointment with something that the virus' spread has put on hold. Oliver, naturally, chose the Reds.
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"Here's the thing: I've waited my entire adult life for this! They were about to win the title for the first time in 30 years. They were 25 points ahead of Man City! Twenty-five points! That's a historic margin, and you're telling me it could be for nothing?
"Mo Salah deserves to be a Premier League champion. Jurgen Klopp deserves this, and I know he's pointed out in a beautiful essay that you should look up that we should not worry about the league right now, we should keep things in perspective. But the very fact that he wrote something like that just makes me want him to win the title even more! I want to see the trophy go through the [Bill Shankly gates at Anfield]!"
A buzzer interrupted Oliver's opining, but the comedian paused a bit after saying it was "out of his system" and hilariously kept going.
Soccer
"It just feels like they should really give Liverpool the league title because they've basically already won it," Oliver quipped. "That actually would be fair!"
Oliver noted that "[it's] not like anyone's gonna catch up from a 25-point deficit, anyway" after the buzzer's second intereuption but his production team wouldn't let him get another word on Liverpool in edgewise by buzzing in a third time.
"OK, ok!" Oliver said. "You're right! You are right! Sports are not important right now. They're not important right now. I mean, they're not really important ever, but they're especially not important now."
The Premier League is one of many leagues around the world -- soccer and otherwise -- postponing their seasons in order to halt the coronavirus' spread. Liverpool fans have waited three decades since their last top-flight title. If the Premier League ultimately resumes its season, what're another few weeks or months with public health in mind?