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Liverpool must beat Arsenal to remain title contenders, pundits say

Summarised from 5 outlets · Updated 30 Oct, 17:28 · Archive

Football pundits say Liverpool must beat Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday to establish themselves as genuine Premier League title challengers.

Liverpool host defending champions Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday in a fixture several football commentators believe will define whether the Reds can challenge for the Premier League title this season.

Liverpool are currently fourth in the table, six points behind joint-leaders Arsenal and Manchester City. They have won five consecutive games, recovering from a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City earlier this month. Their most recent victory came against Brighton, the Premier League's top scorers, in a 2-0 win in which they kept a clean sheet and won a league match at home for the first time since April.

Paul Merson argues that Liverpool must win on Sunday to remain title contenders. 'If they don't win, they stay six points behind at least and still have to go to the Emirates,' Merson wrote in his Sky Sports column. 'You're then asking Arsenal to lose two football matches without you losing one. And given Liverpool will lose more games this season, you're then asking Arsenal to lose three or four games for the rest of the season.'

Alan Shearer, the former Newcastle United striker, expressed similar views. 'Whether you like it or not Liverpool could become title challengers with a win on Sunday,' Shearer told Betfair. 'It just feels as if there's a little bit of momentum happening at Liverpool. It seems as if the players are buying into his ideas and they're getting results.'

Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool defender, has revised his initial scepticism about manager Andoni Iraola's appointment. Carragher now believes Liverpool have realistic title chances, particularly given ongoing questions about Manchester City's 115 alleged breaches of financial rules. 'Any substantial points deduction imposed on City could effectively eliminate them from the Premier League title race, potentially offering Liverpool a stronger chance to regain the trophy,' according to reporting of Carragher's position.

Manager Iraola, however, adopted a more cautious stance ahead of the fixture. 'It's good if the fans have expectations and think we can win. But if you ask me, it is still very early in the season,' Iraola said. 'I said before, it's still October, take one game at a time and I always say the first reference is normally when we have played against each other once, halfway through the season.'

The Guardian noted that while Liverpool's form has improved markedly, questions remain about their consistency in creating chances against stubborn opponents. A win would place Liverpool just three points behind the champions. Iraola indicated that midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, who scored a free-kick in Liverpool's 1-0 win over Arsenal last season, had a chance of being available for the match.

Liverpool must beat Arsenal to remain title contenders, pundits say
Image: Guardian Football

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How it is being reported

In this story: Liverpool · Arsenal · Manchester City · Andoni Iraola · Paul Merson · Alan Shearer · Jamie Carragher · Anfield

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log