Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher agreed with their verdicts on the Premier League title race after Liverpool’s 2- win over Manchester City on Sunday.
The Reds took full advantage of Arsenal’s defeat at home to West Ham yesterday by triumphing at the Etihad Stadium to go 11 points clear at the top of the table, with the Gunners having just 12 more matches to try and reel in the leaders.
Mikel Arteta’s cause isn’t helped by a spate of injuries to his forwards, with Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli all currently sidelined, and it’d take something remarkable for them to overhaul the Merseysiders from here.
Keane and Carragher can’t see Liverpool being caught
Speaking on Sky Sports at the full-time whistle of Liverpool’s win today, Carragher said: “I think Liverpool are going to go on and win the title. It’s not so much the lead they have over Arsenal right now. Arsenal are in a situation where they’ve got no strikers. They’re gonna drop more points.
“I think when you go through a season, there are statement wins when you win a league title. Beating Manchester City home and away is as big a statement as you could have. It’s almost a matter of when and not if.”
Keane also feels that Liverpool won’t be caught from here, saying (via Sky Sports): “No doubt about it. The spine of the team is outstanding. They’re physically strong. The squad players are very good. They’ve got pace. Salah is amazing; his stats are fantastic. They’ve got momentum and the other teams are slipping up.
“They’ve seven games at home and they’ve only lost once [in the league] all season. Yeah, all over.”
Liverpool have a good chance of extending their lead even further
Some Liverpool fans might be understandably cautious about jumping the gun about declaring their team to be champions elect, given how previous title races have unravelled agonisingly.
However, when we heard a booming chorus of “we’re gonna win the league” from the away end at the Etihad today, that was a sure sign of just how dominant a position the Reds currently enjoy.
What was most impressive about the win over Man City was how calm and controlled we looked during the second half, even when the home side were dominating possession and territory. Pep Guardiola’s team might have had 16 shots, but their xG was a paltry 0.63 (Sofascore).
Liverpool’s next three league matches are at Anfield, one of which is against rock-bottom Southampton, so there’s a strong chance that they extend their lead even further going into April. Meanwhile, Arsenal face a tough trip to third-placed Nottingham Forest in midweek.
Keane and Carragher seem convinced that the Premier League trophy is Merseyside-bound, as do the Reds fans who were in full voice at the Etihad earlier. Slot and his players will publicly sing a rather different tune, but privately they must be fully confident of getting the job done from here.
