The Reds have one hand on the Premier League title after the weekend results
Too early to call Liverpool the Premier League champions elect? At this point, it wouldn’t feel like jumping the gun.
After injury-ravaged Arsenal slipped to a 1-0 loss at home to West Ham United on Saturday, Liverpool produced a superb performance to beat an out-of-sorts Manchester City 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium.
Mohamed Salah’s deflected effort and Dominik Szoboszlai’s precise finish gave the Reds a commanding lead at the break. City, who were without star striker Erling Haaland on the day, had no answer throughout and were kept at arm’s length in a low-key second half.
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The result means Arne Slot and his side have an 11-point cushion at the summit, having played a game more than Arsenal.
And the win will have even the most cautious of supporters looking to their calendars as to when Liverpool could finally clinch what looks to be an increasingly inevitable Premier League crown.
As things stand, the most points Arsenal can achieve is 89. That would account for them winning their last 12 games in succession, including a win at Anfield three games from the end of the campaign.
Liverpool could reach the same total in nine matches’ time – which is against Arsenal in that fixture on May 10!
In all likelihood the prize will be secured before then though, meaning Arsenal could in fact be lining up to give Liverpool a guard of honour. The Gunners are dealing with an injury crisis in attack and will travel to Nottingham Forest in midweek in the Premier League, who are flying high in third place in the table.
The week before Slot takes his side to Chelsea, while before that they face Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield, meaning other rivals could also face the ignominy of welcoming the champions onto the pitch.