Liverpool is leading the Premier League race after Manchester City and Arsenal couldn’t beat each other on Sunday.
A 2-1 comeback win against Brighton has put Jürgen Klopp’s team in the lead — two points ahead of second-place Arsenal and three ahead of City in third with nine games left.
“It’s a great spot the boys have brought us to,” said Klopp, who aims for a second league title before leaving at the season’s end.
Though there’s still some way to go, Mohamed Salah’s second-half goal at Anfield could be vital. Even City boss Pep Guardiola admitted that Liverpool has the advantage now. “Whoever’s first is usually the favorite,” Guardiola said. “Second is Arsenal and we’re third.”
Liverpool had taken the top spot before City and Arsenal’s match, which ended in a 0-0 draw at Etihad Stadium. The clash between last season’s top two teams was highly anticipated but lacked goal-scoring chances.
While the draw benefited Liverpool the most, it also showed Arsenal’s growing title potential after last season’s dip. The Londoners had lost their last eight visits to City. But this season, they’ve earned four points against the champions and won the Community Shield in August. However, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said there’s still more to do to beat City.
“It shows improvement, but there are more steps needed to win the championship,” Arteta said. “Today we drew, but we still need to improve a lot to win.”
Arsenal has performed well against its title rivals, winning and drawing against Liverpool as well. In contrast, City hasn’t beaten any team above it in the league, only drawing against Liverpool. Sunday was a chance to change that, but City fell further behind the top.
