Arsenal go top, Liverpool halt Man City winning streak

MANCHESTER, England (AP):

IT LOOKS like Pep Guardiola has a fight on his hands in the Premier League if he is to win an unprecedented four titles in a row with Manchester City.

Goals from Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold and Arsenal’s Kai Havertz on Saturday saw the defending champions knocked off the top of the table. Liverpool secured a 1-1 draw against City at Etihad Stadium and Arsenal scored late to beat Brentford 1-0.

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are likely to lead the challenge to City’s domestic dominance and Guardiola’s bid to win an unprecedented fourth straight title in England’s top tier. But threats lie elsewhere as well.

This season’s surprise package, Tottenham, could go level on points with second-place City if they beat Aston Villa today. Villa, meanwhile, have the chance to move level with third-place Liverpool and a point behind Guardiola’s team.

But it is Klopp and Arteta who have the experience of pushing Guardiola all the way in a long title race, with Liverpool the only team to break City’s supremacy over the past six years when crowned champions in 2020.

Klopp has rebuilt the squad that won every major honour for Liverpool from 2019-22. And his new-look team served notice of its credentials by ending City’s 100 per cent winning home record in the league when Alexander-Arnold’s 80th-minute strike evened the score after Erling Haaland’s opener.

“For us, I think we passed a test today, I am not sure if it was ‘the’ test,” Klopp said.

“Last year with a team that played long together we got completely under the wheels here (losing 4-1) and had no real chance. Today we had a chance.”

The result meant Arsenal had a chance to go top, having led the table for 248 days last season before falling away late on.

But Arteta, in his 200th game in charge, likely feared the worst as the clock ticked down at Gtech Community Stadium with the game goalless.

Havertz’s 89th-minute header completely changed the mood, securing a 1-0 win and moving Arsenal a point above City.

“When you have an opportunity to take a bite out of everybody, you have to do it,” Arteta said. “I love winning and we are top of the table and this is where we have to want to be.”

Both Klopp and Arteta know it’s where you finish at the end that counts. And Guardiola is a master of handling the pressure at the top.

“We are hungry and upset in the locker room, but it was an incredibly great game,” said Guardiola after drawing with Liverpool.

“We were not going to win or lose the Premier League today, we just had to be ourselves.”

Yesterday’s Results

Brentford 0-1 Arsenal

Newcastle 4-1 Chelsea

Luton Town 2-1 C Palace

Burnley 1-2 West Ham

Forest 2-3 Brighton

Sheffield 1-3 B’mouth

Man City 1-1 Liverpool