The Gunners scored three goals at The Emirates on Sunday with Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard on target. Liverpool managed to level the score briefly after Gabriel's own goal but lost for just the second time in the league this season.
As a result, Arsenal are two points behind first-placed Liverpool and three ahead of City, who are third as things stand. But Pep Guardiola's side have played two fewer games and before the clash against Brentford on Monday night.
There are still plenty of twists and turns ahead. So, let's look at the next five games for the three title contenders.
Liverpool (51 points)
Burnley (h), Brentford (a), Luton (h), Nottingham Forest (a), Manchester City (h)
Liverpool's Europa League journey means they have a longer break before their next European match. But, they still have domestic cup games to play.
They will face Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final at the end of March, followed by an FA Cup fifth round match against either Watford or Southampton. In the Premier League, the clash against City is undoubtedly the big one. But before that, Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool will play against four teams currently at the bottom of the table, including two new ones.
Liverpool won three out of five previous matches without letting in a goal. The other two games, against Luton and City, ended in a draw.
Arsenal (49 points)
West Ham (a), Burnley (a), Newcastle (h), Sheffield United (a), Brentford (h)
Arsenal will start their push to stay ahead of their rivals with a game that hurt their chances last season. West Ham managed to draw with Arsenal after being 2-0 down, and they've also beaten Mikel Arteta's team twice this season.
Mikel Arteta's team could beat three opponents twice, including Sheffield United who they thrashed 5-0 in October. They'll also want to get back at Newcastle for a controversial 1-0 loss.
Arsenal will take a break from the league to play in Europe, going to Porto on February 21. But they don't have any more domestic cup games.
Man City (46 points)
Brentford (a), Everton (h), Chelsea (h), Brentford (h), Bournemouth (a)
Yes, you read that right, City will be playing Brentford twice in February. The first match is scheduled for this week's Monday night, and the second one, which was postponed from December due to City's Club World Cup participation, will take place later in the month.
The other three matches are rematches of games where City scored a whopping 13 goals before Christmas. However, only Bournemouth and Everton were defeated, with Chelsea managing a 4-4 draw in West London in October.
City also have an FA Cup game against Luton and a Champions League journey to Copenhagen on their schedule. If they win all their league games, they could top the table, and we all know how well Pep Guardiola's team performs during the final stretch.
0 Comments