Throughout the opening months of the 2023/24 Premier League season, Arsenal had looked like a genuine contender. They were exactly that last season, however, they ultimately threw away an eight-point lead to second-placed Manchester City, who went on to win the title for the third year running. The Gunners, meanwhile, had to settle for second place and a return to the Champions League for the first time since the days of Arsene Wenger.
This season, Mikel Arteta’s men once again topped the pile. However, a dismal run of form over the festive period saw them lose at home to West Ham and away at Fulham. Those games saw them drop all the way down to fourth in the league, a mighty five points behind league leaders Liverpool. Popular online bookmakers, whose Premier League odds and bonus bets are compared by oddschecker, then made Arsenal distant third favorites for the title behind Jurgen Klopp’s Reds and Pep Guardiola’s Blues.
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Make or Break Clash
With the threat of the title aspirations being torpedoed as early as February, defeat wasn’t an option when the Merseysiders made their way to the Emirates. And the hosts knew it. They came out of the blocks firing and took a deserved lead through Bukayo Saka, the England winger tapping home a goal after Alisson Becker’s saved Gabriel Martinelli’s shot. However, the visitors equalized on the stroke of halftime thanks to Garbeil’s own goal and it looked as though that five-point gap would remain.
In the second half, it was the Reds who came out with the added impetus, netting straight from the restart. However, The Gunners regained their composure and began to take control of the contest. In the 63rd minute, they were duly rewarded for their endeavor when Gabriel Martinelli took advantage of a mix-up between the aforementioned Alisson and captain Virgil Van Dijk to slot the ball into an empty net.
The visitors pushed for an equalizer, but it never came. That opened the door for Leandro Trossard to seal the victory in injury time, slashing Liverpool’s lead at the top of the staple to just two points. The reigning champions are just three points further back and they have two games in hand on their nearest rivals.
What’s Next?
Arsenal have a tough month ahead of them with back-to-back clashes against Chelsea and Manchester City on the horizon in mid-march. They also have to balance the Champions League with their domestic responsibilities, something they didn’t have to do last term. Liverpool can rest players midweek as they are competing in the Europa League, and that could play a decisive factor as the title race begins to reach the finish line.
