Liverpool suffered their second league defeat of the season on Sunday, February 4, losing 3-1 to Arsenal enabling the Gunners to narrow the gap to their title rivals to two points.
The result blows the title race wide open with many forecasting a two-horse race between Jurgen Klopp’s side and Manchester City.
The outcome was a familiar one for Liverpool as their struggle against fellow ‘Big Six’ sides continued.
Liverpool’s Loss to Arsenal Highlights a Problem Against the ‘Big Six’
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Reds Struggling in Big Six Games
The 3-1 defeat to Arsenal means the Reds have picked up just one point against one of their biggest title rivals this season whilst in return, the Gunners have now collected four having drawn at Anfield in December.
Klopp’s team have only managed one win so far this season against any of the other big six sides and that came in the game before the trip to the Emirates when they defeated Chelsea 4-1 at Anfield, although Chelsea’s classification as one of the big six is debatable in the current climate.
Liverpool started their season facing Mauricio Pochettino’s side, picking up a point at Stamford Bridge. On the face of it, that is not normally a bad result however the Blues have failed to win seven of their 12 home games this campaign and as the season has progressed, it feels more like two points dropped rather than one gained.
The 1-1 in London was mirrored when Klopp’s men went to Manchester City in late November and again, preventing City from winning at home is never a bad thing, especially as they remain unbeaten at The Etihad.
But the result came at a time when the Citizens were faltering ever so slightly. That game featured in a stretch of five matches where City only picked up one win in a rare period of difficulty for Pep Guardiola’s side. It should also be noted that, despite being unbeaten at home, they have dropped six points on at the Etihad already this season, having dropped only five in the whole of the last campaign.
Liverpool’s only other defeat in the league this season also came to another big six side when they went to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. A late Joel Matip own goal prevented the Reds from collecting a hard-fought-for point having ended the match with nine men. Of course, that game will mostly be remembered for the horrendous VAR error that denied Luis Diaz a legitimate goal which, had it been given, may have changed the outcome.
Remaining Big Six Games for Liverpool
Liverpool have three league games remaining this season against their fellow big six sides. Klopp’s team welcome Manchester City to Anfield in March, they travel to Old Trafford in April before hosting Tottenham in May.
The good news is that two of the games are at Anfield where they are unbeaten and currently boast the best home record in the division, however, that win against Chelsea remains their only home win against other big six teams.
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When Manchester United visited Anfield in December, a lacklustre Liverpool attack mustered 34 shots but were largely uninspiring and were unable to break the deadlock in a 0-0 draw. The following week saw Arsenal claim their previously mentioned draw at Anfield in another big six 1-1 for the Reds.
A side note here is that Liverpool are also yet to travel to Aston Villa. If Chelsea are lucky to still be considered a top side then Aston Villa are unfortunate to not be. The current top six in the Premier League contains Unai Emery’s side whilst the Blues languish in mid-table.
Liverpool did beat the Lions 3-0 at Anfield earlier in the season but the Midlands club have only lost once at Villa Park this season and beat both Manchester City and Arsenal at home in the space of a week in December.
How Are the Other Big Six Sides Doing Against Each Other?
- Arsenal – Played 6 – Won 3 Drawn 3 Lost 0 – 12 Points
- Spurs – Played 6 – Won 2 – Drawn 3 – Lost 1 – 9 Points
- Liverpool – Played 7 – Won 1 – Drawn 4 – Lost 2 – 7 Points
- Man City – Played 5 – Won 1 – Drawn 3 – Lost 1 – 6 Points
- Chelsea – Played 6 – Won 1 – Drawn 3 – Lost 2 – 6 Points
- Manchester United – Played 6 – Won 1 – Drawn 2 – Lost 3 – 5 Points
The first thing to note is that Liverpool have played more games than the others at this stage. That will impact their points per game average which places them in a worse position than Manchester City and Chelsea. The positive is that there are subsequently fewer of these games to play and Liverpool still find themselves top of the league, albeit with Manchester City having games in hand. By contrast, Arsenal are the only side unbeaten in these fixtures but could still find themselves third by the time Manchester City have played those extra games.
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This issue for the Reds is alarming and is one they will want to rectify but perhaps not anything to be too concerned by at this point. Klopp’s men will certainly back themselves in both of their home fixtures against Man City and Spurs. City have only won once at Anfield since 2003 whilst Spurs’ last victory there came in 2011.
Should Liverpool manage to win those two fixtures and pick up a draw at Old Trafford then they might reflect on their big six results as being sufficient come the end of the campaign, especially if it becomes decisive in assisting a league win.
If they continue to stutter in those fixtures, it could derail their title hopes.
