(Football news) At this stage, the Gunners lead their Merseyside rivals by one point, but Aston Villa is also very close behind and ready to take advantage of any mistakes made by their podium opponents.
Manchester United prepared to expose Liverpool to a 90-minute tirade last Saturday, as Jurgen Klopp’s team relentlessly attacked the Red Devils’ door in an attempt to gain an advantage, refusing to give any early Christmas presents to their fierce rivals.
Man United went home with a point against Liverpool despite facing an incredible 34 shots—the most Liverpool have had in a Premier League game without scoring since 2003—thanks to the team’s persistent ruthlessness in front of goal and a few outstanding defensive performances, in which Raphael Varane deserves special recognition.
Klopp’s team brought the blue-touch paper back in Wednesday’s EFL Cup quarterfinal matchup against West Ham United, putting on a five-star performance in a 5-1 thumping to set up a semi-final meeting with Fulham. Liverpool were a far cry from the merciless attacking unit that put seven past the Red Devils in March.
Nevertheless, Klopp acknowledged that he was disappointed by what he perceived to be a lack of Anfield atmosphere in midweek after watching his charges lose points at home for the first time this season over the weekend. Klopp then issued a rallying cry to supporters as Liverpool attempts to avoid going scoreless in back-to-back Premier League home games for the first time since March 2021.
Before giving in to the Red Devils’ defensive might, the hosts had bulged the net in 26 straight Premier League games. However, their current winning streak in the league is now at 10 games, and it has been almost 14 months since Leeds United’s last home loss to Liverpool in the top flight.
Ever since Brighton & Hove Albion shot to prominence, Arsenal supporters have been all too familiar with the Seagulls’ home losses. However, last weekend at the Emirates, Mikel Arteta’s team clipped Roberto De Zerbi’s team’s wings and took back the top spot in the standings.
A similar story played out in the first half of Sunday’s match, one week after an agonizing 1-0 loss to Aston Villa, where the Gunners were also their own worst enemies in front of goal. However, thanks to goals from Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus in the second half, and a header from Jesus in the first, Arsenal made sure that their earlier missed opportunities would not come back to haunt them.
Also read: Manchester United will play West Ham in EPL
