Premier League: A Trip to Anfield Comes Too Late for Arsenal

Liverpool vs Arsenal

Liverpool’s Premier League title celebrations continue with a home game against Arsenal on Sunday. But, for the visitors, the match comes in rather disappointing circumstances.

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have been the only real challengers to Arne Slot’s team’s march to the 2024/25 title, and the North Londoners had rather hoped they would still be in the hunt this weekend with a chance to beat the Merseysiders and take the race down to the last two weeks, but that ship has sailed. While the Reds bask in the glory of their 20^th top-flight title and their first since 2020, Arsenal are looking anxiously over their shoulders.      

The race for Champions League places is heating up and Nottingham Forest, currently in sixth place, could still overtake the Gunners should their Premier League 2025 results fall off a cliff, and that would probably mean losing all of their last three games, to Liverpool, Newcastle United, and then away to Southampton on the last day.

It could happen, but more realistically, the Gunners could be knocked off second place in the run-in by Manchester City, who have had a dreadful campaign by their standards but sit just three points behind Arsenal, and Pep Guardiola’s team visit bottom club Southampton on Saturday. For the really pessimistic Gunners, Forest are at home to another relegated side, Leicester City, so it is entirely possible that Arsenal’s cushion in the Champions League places is down to three points by the end of the weekend.    

Last week, Arsenal lost 2-1 at home to Bournemouth, while Liverpool had a post-party hangover, going down to Chelsea 3-1, and the Reds will be keen to give their fans something else to cheer on Sunday.

After slipping out of the Premier League title race, missing out on the domestic cups, and then losing their Champions League semi-final to PSG this week, the Gunners desperately need a result.   

 

Talking Points

Slot is planning for 2026

The Premier League 2025 betting odds all but handed the title to Liverpool some weeks ago, and it was finally confirmed when the Reds thrashed Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 in front of their own fans on Sunday 27^th April. Mohamed Salah scored his 28^th goal of the campaign in that win, adding to his phenomenal tally of 18 assists, and Liverpool fans are delighted that their Egyptian megastar has committed his short-term future to the club, alongside captain Virgil van Dijk, who scored the Reds’ goal against Chelsea last week.

But Salah is 32 years of age now and, while footballers are fitter for longer these days, the game is constantly speeding up, and Liverpool will eventually need a successor.

Reports from Merseyside suggest Slot is keen on Brentford’s striker Bryan Mbeumo. The 25-year-old has really blossomed under Thomas Frank since the departure of Ivan Toney, and he has scored an impressive 18 goals and made six assists in the Premier League this season. The Cameroon international has been linked with a move away from West London this summer, and Slot is monitoring the situation.

The Liverpool boss will also need a long-term replacement for centre-back van Dijk soon enough, but more immediately, he needs to address the impending departure of wing-back and utility man Trent Alexander-Arnold.  

 

Lack of a striker has cost Arsenal

It has been a really tough couple of weeks for Arsenal, who have lost three games on the bounce in all competitions and are without a victory in four. But there have been frustrations for Arteta throughout the campaign as he has tried to work out how to win without a recognised striker. The nearest thing he has is Gabriel Jesus, but the Brazilian has been injured for much of the campaign, and he has tried the likes of attacking midfielder Mikel Merino as a stand-in striker with sporadic success.

Kai Havertz has made some appearances as a front man too, and the German is top scoring with nine goals, while Leandro Trossard has eight, and winger Gabriel Martinelli has scored seven.

Arsenal have also missed star man Bukayo Saka with injury. The England man has only recently returned and he scored the Gunners’ consolation in their Champions League semi-final second leg against Paris on Wednesday. But there is no escaping the fact that Arsenal’s three top scorers are four shy of Salah’s total number of Premier League goals, and the same players have accumulated 12 assists between them, six fewer than the Egyptian king.

 

History

The head-to-head meetings since the start of the Premier League are currently standing at 25 wins to 18 in Liverpool’s favour, but the two teams drew 2-2 when they met at the Emirates for the return match in October.

In terms of recent form, the Reds are stronger with four wins and two losses from the last six games, while Arsenal have won two, drawn three, and lost once.

Arsenal have not won on their last four visits to Anfield, and Liverpool’s record at home reads 14 wins, two draws and a single defeat.  

 

Betting Tip

Liverpool are the favourites at SBOTOP odds of 2.07 to win this clash with the Gunners at 3.04 and the draw is at 3.14. And the Double Chance: Arsenal or Draw is available at 1.75. Arteta’s team have more to play for than their hosts, but they may well be emotionally and physically tired, and I think they’ll fall short of a victory. 

   

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