Manchester City v Liverpool FC - Premier League
Former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville (Picture: Getty)
Gary Neville says Liverpool are now the ‘clear favourites’ to win the Premier League and views Arsenal as their biggest competition.
Liverpool will sit four points clear at the top of the Premier League table on Christmas Day after Arne Slot’s side thumped Tottenham 6-3 on Sunday.
The Reds’ title rivals Arsenal thrashed Crystal Palace 5-1 earlier in the weekend but second-placed Chelsea slipped up, drawing 0-0 away at Everton.
Neville insists Chelsea, widely tipped to struggle before the season started, are enjoying an impressive season but says he expects Arsenal to emerge as Liverpool’s biggest rival for the title.
Arsenal have come agonisingly close to winning the Premier League under Mikel Arteta – twice being pipped by Manchester City – and Neville has backed them to challenge again.
Defending champions Man City, of course, are all but out of contention as a shocking run of form has left them seventh, 12 points adrift of Liverpool.
‘Liverpool are clearly the best team in the Premier League at this moment in time,’ Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast after the remarkable clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Tottenham Hotspur FC v Liverpool FC - Premier League
Premier League leaders Liverpool thumped Tottenham (Picture: Getty)
‘They’re the clear favourites for the title. Man City’s drop-off has been spectacular, I’m not sure anyone really knows how it’s gone so badly wrong.
‘Chelsea had a tough game today but they’re doing well and having a good season.
‘I think the one team Liverpool need to watch are Arsenal if they can get their tail up and close that gap going in March and April.
‘But at this moment in time Liverpool are clear favourites. I think the biggest risk for them is injuries – if they were to lose Van Dijk and Salah that would hurt them.
Tottenham Hotspur FC v Liverpool FC - Premier League
Arne Slot arrived at Anfield last summer (Picture: Getty)
‘Van Dijk is like Rodri for Liverpool, he holds it all together. Keeping him fit is absolutely crucial.
‘There’s some big challenges coming up so we’re nowhere near the point that you can hand Liverpool the title but they’re in a great position and at this moment in time they’re by far the best team in the league and the table tells us that.’
Slot was ‘really impressed’ with most of Liverpool’s performance against Spurs as they scored six goals, exposing Tottenham’s defensive vulnerability.
‘Until 60, 65 minutes, I really, really, really enjoyed what I saw,’ he told Sky Sports. ‘Of course, we were caught one time in bringing the ball out from the back and that immediately led to a goal for Tottenham.
‘You think if we would have gone into the dressing room with a 2-1, that would not have done justice to all the chances we had – that’s why I was quite happy with the fact that we scored the 3-1.
‘Then 4-1, 5-1, incredible display. But then you also saw that no matter how much quality players have.
‘If they think they don’t have to run anymore then in this league, especially against Tottenham because they are so good with the ball as well, they immediately start to create.
‘That’s what they did and they scored two goals. I was happy that the sixth one went in, to be fair.’
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