Arsenal and Liverpool dealt hammer blows in Premier League title race - Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta reaction

Matthew Elder
By Matthew Elder
Published 14th Apr 2024, 20:40 BST
Comment
Man City the big winners on a seismic Sunday

It's now advantage Manchester City in the Premier League title race after a siesmic Sunday saw both Liverpool and Arsenal suffer damaging home defeats.

Pep Guardiola's defending champions moved two points clear at the top of the table on Saturday with a 5-1 win over Luton Town at the Etihad and that is where they remained after Crystal Palace claimed a surprise 1-0 win at Anfield while Aston Villa scored twice in the final six minutes to stun the Emirates and seal a 2-0 victory.

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Liverpool were first to crack in the earlier kick-off with Eberechi Eze’s goal after 14 minutes proving the difference as Jurgen Klopp's side fell to a first home league defeat of the season. The Reds were guilty of profligate finishing with Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones all responsible for glaring misses, while Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson put in a fine display with a number of key saves.

Ollie Watkins scores Aston Villa's second goal in the 2-0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)Ollie Watkins scores Aston Villa's second goal in the 2-0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Ollie Watkins scores Aston Villa's second goal in the 2-0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

If that was a warning to Arsenal over the need to take advantage and avoid a similar slip-up then it was not heeded as Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins netted a dramatic late double to put a huge dent in the Gunners’ title hopes. The defeat leaves Mikel Arteta’s side two points behind City in second place, ahead of Liverpool on goal difference, with six matches of the season remaining.

Klopp cited the impact of results against rivals Manchester United as a factor in Liverpool’s recent loss of momentum as their defeat to Palace capped a highly frustrating week after a draw at United last weekend and a humbling Europa League loss to Atalanta on Thursday. The German, however, pinpointed another result at Old Trafford – the dramatic FA Cup loss that ended Liverpool’s quadruple bid last month – as where they started to run out of steam.