'At this moment': Gary Neville explains what Arsenal's draw last night means for Liverpool's title chances now
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Liverpool supporters may have had some mixed feelings after seeing Arsenal rescue a late point against Manchester City on Sunday.
The Reds could settle in and watch along safe in the knowledge that they would be clear at the top of the table whatever happened at the Emirates Stadium.
However, while the default position of recent years has been to hope for a Man City loss, there is a feeling that Arsenal will once again be the closest challenger to Liverpool for the Premier League title.
Therefore, supporters may have been disappointed to see Gabriel Martinelli score late on to cancel out Erling Haaland’s early opener.
Nevertheless, with these two clubs expected to be right up there at the end of the season, a point apiece is arguably the best result for Liverpool.
Analysing that suggestion following the match, Gary Neville explained what he thinks Arsenal and City’s draw means for the Reds.
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Having won all of their opening five fixtures, including against Arsenal at Anfield, Liverpool were already favourites to lift the Premier League for a second year running.
Now sitting five clear in the Premier League table, some will be ready to write Arne Slot’s team’s name on the trophy.
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According to Neville, though, it is still far too early to declare it Liverpool’s to lose.
However, the Manchester United legend does concede that the Reds are now ‘massive favourites.’
“At this moment, five points clear at the end of today, obviously it’s very early, it’s far too early to call Liverpool title winners but they’re massive favourites,” Neville told Sky Sports.
“Because of their experience, because of their ability to score goals, because of their belief that they want to go and win every game and go punch for punch with any opponent.
“They’ve got United as well in a couple of weeks…”
As well as declaring Liverpool as the team to beat, Neville explained why he thinks the Reds are going to be so difficult to stop.
“It’s ominous in the fact that I think at times they’re hanging on by the skin of their teeth, ominous in the fact that I don’t think they’ve settled on their best team yet and they’ve not got their best team out on the pitch,” he said.
“[Florian] Wirtz, [Alexander] Isak, you’ve got £250m worth of players there that haven’t yet got to a point of playing together or at their best, or anything like in their rhythm with the talent and potential we know they can produce.
“They’ve got a manager who will I think shift up a gear at whatever point in the game they need to to go and score goals and win,” Neville added.
“They take risks, they call it on with the other team, they give you encouragement to the point whereby they draw you forward and then they’ll go and hit you.
So, they’re a really, really good side.”
Things could certainly still go wrong for Liverpool.