Liverpool are now 13 points clear of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table
Liverpool are now a whopping 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League table after what feels like a decisive night in the title race. The Reds won 2-0 at home to Newcastle United in the 8.15pm kick-off.
But while Arne Slot’s men ran out comfortable winners over the Magpies, Arsenal were dropping points once again as they lost further ground on the leaders. Kicking off at 7.30pm away to Nottingham Forest, the Gunners were held to a 0-0 draw at the City Ground.
Liverpool and Arsenal are now afforded a weekend off after suffering premature FA Cup exits before returning to Champions League action away to Paris Saint-Germain and PSV Eindhoven respectively.
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Their Premier League campaigns will then continue the weekend of March 8-9 with the Reds well placed to extend their lead further – albeit perhaps only temporarily.
Liverpool host struggling Southampton on Saturday, March 8 before Arsenal travel to Manchester United on Sunday, March 9. Consequently, it would be a surprise if the Gunners did not find themselves 16 points behind the Reds by the time they kick-off at Old Trafford.
Admittedly, they still possess a game in hand. With Liverpool in League Cup final action against Newcastle United on Sunday, March 16, Arsenal host Chelsea in their outstanding Premier League fixture.
Consequently, the true gap between the title rivals will become a whole lot clearer in little over two weeks’ time, when, heading into April, both sides will then have nine league fixtures left to play.
But for now, the Reds have played 28 matches while the Gunners have played 27 times. And with the gap growing even further on Wednesday night, it is inevitable that supporters will now cautiously be looking at calendars, fixture lists and league tables, before dusting off their GCSE maths skills and trying to work out when the Premier League title could actually be won.
As things stand, if Arsenal won all 11 of their remaining fixtures, they will finish with 87 points. That would include beating Liverpool at Anfield on the weekend of May 10-11, and ending a 13-year hoodoo that has not seen them win at the ground since September 2012.
Should the Reds win all 10 of their remaining fixtures, they will finish the season on 97 points, with the Gunners then limited to a maximum haul of 84 points.
If the table-toppers lost to Arsenal, they could finish with 94 points, while a draw would see their highest possible points totals standing at 95 and 85 points respectively.
So, as things stand, Liverpool need 88 points to win the Premier League. Currently boasting 67 points, they therefore need to win seven of their remaining 10 games to be crowned champions.
Consequently, the earliest the Reds can currently seal the Premier League title is away to Chelsea on the weekend of May 3-4. Should they do so, Arsenal would then have to give them a guard of honour in Liverpool’s next outing at Anfield the following weekend.
However, that requires both teams to pick up maximum points in the forthcoming weeks. If the Reds were to instead maintain a 13-point lead, they could instead clinch the title at home to Tottenham Hotspur the weekend before on April 26-27.
Given the Gunners’ recent form, losing to struggling West Ham United before being held by Nottingham Forest, picking up maximum points is perhaps easier said than done. Granted, that comes accompanied by the caveat of an injury crisis that has significantly limited their attacking options.
But with Manchester United and Chelsea lurking in their next two matches, it would not be a surprise if the gap between Liverpool and Arsenal continued to grow and the date they could mathematically clinch the title be brought forward further as a result.
The Gunners also travel to Everton, face further London derbies with Fulham, Brentford and Crystal Palace, and welcome Bournemouth and Newcastle United to the Emirates in the final weeks of the season.
The Reds still face tough Premier League fixtures of their own, though, including a Merseyside derby clash with Everton at Anfield days before the Blues host Arsenal.
Tottenham Hotspur will also travel to Anfield, while Liverpool face trips to the likes of Fulham and Brighton & Hove Albion in the final weeks of the season.
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Meanwhile, the earliest that the Reds could mathematically win the title could actually be away at Fulham on the weekend of April 5-6. But that would involve Liverpool winning their next three matches and Arsenal losing their next four games (with teams below them dropping a few points too). Considering the Gunners have only lost three times all season, don’t bank on it.
Both sides will be at home five times from their final nine matches, and also have to take on teams embroiled in the Premier League relegation battle. The Reds travel to Leicester City while Arsenal take on Ipswich Town on the weekend of April 19-20, while the Gunners will also travel to Southampton on the final day of the season.
With both Liverpool and Arsenal also still in the Champions League, and facing the possibility of facing off in the semi-finals at the end of April and start of May, they could even end up locking horns three times in just 11 days.
And that could come at a time when the stakes might never have been higher with both the Premier League title and a place in the Champions League final up for grabs. Consequently, while Slot’s men are currently in a really strong position, there are evidently still plenty more twists and turns to come in this season’s title-race with three months of the campaign remaining.