Liverpool fans have had a couple of goals to cheer at Anfield tonight, but perhaps the biggest roar of all went up because of events elsewhere.
The Reds’ clash at home to Newcastle kicked off at 8:15pm, 45 minutes after Arsenal’s match away to Nottingham Forest, so the second half had barely begun on Merseyside when the full-time whistle was being blown at the City Ground.
Even with their own team tentatively hanging onto a 1-0 lead, the volume cranked up around L4 when Kopites discovered that the Gunners had been held to a goalless draw in the Midlands, with a 13-point gap in the live Premier League table at that point.
How did Liverpool fans react to hearing Arsenal result?
Daily Mail journalist Lewis Steele was straight onto X as soon as he heard the booming chorus emanating around Anfield when the Arsenal result filtered through.
He posted: “The Kop breaks out in a chorus of ‘Liverpool top the league’ as the full time score at Nottingham Forest seemingly filters around. They will be 13 clear if they hold on here.”
Meanwhile, Sky Sports reporter Adam Bate noted (21:22): “Perhaps news of the goalless draw at Forest has filtered through. The Kop suddenly bellow chants about being top of the league. And now, ‘We shall not be moved…’.”
Liverpool move one step closer to lifting 20th league title
Has it really been only a week since Liverpool’s 2-2 draw at Aston Villa was met with angst and frustration from the Reds, and renewed hope of a successful title pursuit from Arsenal?
From potentially moving within five points of the leaders on Saturday, the Gunners are set to find themselves 13 points adrift of Arne Slot’s side. Even if they win their game in hand at home to Chelsea next month, they still need us to slip up in four of our remaining 10 matches, and that’s without tripping up themselves.
No wonder the news from Nottingham was greeted so raucously at Anfield, with Kopites daring to proclaim that their team will be champions in May, a chant which also boomed from the away end at the Etihad Stadium after the 2-0 win at Manchester City on Sunday.
The presence of battle-hardened stalwarts such as Virgil van Dijk, Mo Salah and Andy Robertson in the Liverpool dressing room will ensure that the players remain laser-focused on continuing to pick up results until any mathematical uncertainty is removed from the Premier League title race.
However, even the most cautious and pessimistic of Reds must now be starting to think that it’d take something suspiciously improbable for the trophy not to make its way to L4 in three months’ time.
