Was yesterday the day Arsenal became true title contenders? Or was it just a blip for eventual winners Manchester City?
Either way, the Gunners' four-point gap at the top of the Premier League cannot be ignored. Arsenal opened up that gap with their gritty 1-0 win at Leeds United, and hours later, City failed to move back to within a point of the Gunners as they suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of Liverpool.
It was a shock loss for City against a Liverpool side who have been out-of-form this season, with just two wins from eight games before this clash. It showed that Pep Guardiola's side can be beaten, but did it raise alarm bells for the heavy title favourites?
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Not according to Gary Neville. Despite City being four points behind Arsenal with over a quarter of the season gone, the former Manchester United defender still expects the Citizens to run away with the title. He also provided a damning verdict on Arsenal's chances, saying he expects them to regress towards the likes of Chelsea and Newcastle United.
"I still think they will [run away with it], I still think they will and today won’t change it, this was a freak game playing at Anfield," Neville told Sky Sports.
"For City, it’s the most difficult game they have. I do think City will run away with it. Arsenal will come back towards Tottenham, Chelsea, United, Newcastle. I do think City will go away."
However, Micah Richards disagreed with Neville as he provided a positive verdict on the Gunners' title hopes. Many believe Arsenal will fall away because of their history of doing so in previous seasons, but the former City defender says this Gunners team is 'different' and that a couple of major injuries is the only thing stopping Arteta's side.
"Arsenal have been brilliant, you always expect them to drop off but this season, they’re different, the energy," said Richards.
"The difference between City and Arsenal is City get a few injuries they play the same way. If they lose Jesus, Zinchenko - to a degree - Thomas Partey, all of a sudden they become a different team. As they are now, they’re on a good run."
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