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The vast majority of the time league tables make perfect sense because that after all is their job: to put order to chaos. This season, however, at the top of the Premier League are two examples that unnerve; they unnerve and confuse because initially at least they make no sense at all.

The first conundrum is Tottenham Hotspur who have lost almost exactly a third of their 37 games to this late juncture. It is not uncommon for teams who skirt relegation and struggle throughout a campaign to end up with a 33% loss ratio. Yet here they are, Mauricio Pochettino’s men scaling the heady heights of third. This is odd.

Then there’s Liverpool who have been defeated only the once this term. It is possible to go through the annals of Premier League winners and find teams who have lost four, five, or six times more than the Reds yet still ended up lifting the trophy. It has been a phenomenal achievement to avoid defeat 36 times out of 37. Yet there they are, lying second to a Manchester City side that have been downed by Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Leicester and Newcastle.

What gives? The answer of course lies in draws.

Liverpool have shared the spoils seven times this term and barring Leicester’s success in 2015/16 (which in every way was a glitch in the matrix) no team has recently won the title by drawing that amount or more. Last year City settled on four occasions. The year before Chelsea did so three times.

Luis Suarez certainly had no qualms about celebrating against his former employers in the video below...

As for Spurs their bizarre record-breaking allergy to drawing – with just the solitary stalemate going all the way back to August - has served them exceedingly well. Yes they may well lose every third weekend but the rest of the time they have accrued maximum points and that has been sufficient in surely securing a Champions League spot.

This begs the question: are draws no longer what they used to be? Is a ‘hard-earned’ point now a dropping of two?

The evidence elsewhere suggests so. In League One Sunderland have lost only five times in 46 games yet have had to settle for a play-off place after drawing a staggering 19, the most of anyone in that division. Last season West Brom ended up rock bottom of the Premier League and that after losing the same number of games as three of their rivals. The reason? Only Southampton drew more often.

Going back further to 2016/17 Manchester United drew every 2.5 games, which incidentally is exactly double the national average. It cost them dear and led to sustained talk of crisis.

A draw of course is still worth the same as it always has. Yet in an era where teams are set up more and more to be adventurous and seek out the three points – and furthermore when away tests no longer hold the same intimidating stature as yesteryear – then we are increasingly seeing sides eke out a disciplined draw only to be over-taken by those that lean towards the all or nothing.