Liverpool sit three points clear of both Chelsea and Manchester United in the Premier League top four
Chelsea and Manchester United have parted company with Enzo Maresca and Ruben Amorim respectively during the opening days of 2026
Chelsea and Manchester United have parted company with Enzo Maresca and Ruben Amorim respectively during the opening days of 2026
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Liverpool missed out on the opportunity to strengthen their grip on a place in the top four for the second gameweek running as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Fulham on Sunday. Cody Gakpo had looked to snatch a stoppage-time win for the Reds, only for Harrison Reed to earn the Cottagers a share of the spoils with a 97th minute piledriver.
Arne Slot’s side remain fourth in the table despite the stalemate, three points clear of both Chelsea and Manchester United in fifth and sixth respectively.
But they would have had the opportunity to extend their advantage over both sides, as the Londoners and Red Devils also dropped points.
Chelsea scored a 94th minute equaliser to earn a 1-1 draw away at Man City in the late Premier League kick-off on Sunday, while United drew 1-1 away at Leeds United at lunchtime.
It was the same story in the previous gameweek when Liverpool were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Leeds United. Had the Reds won, they would have also built a greater lead over their rivals after Chelsea drew 2-2 at home to AFC Bournemouth and Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw by struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers.
With tensions rising between management and club hierarchy behind the scenes at both Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford, both clubs have now moved to sack their manager in the opening days of 2026.
Enzo Maresca was dismissed by Chelsea on New Year’s Day, with Ruben Amorim suffering the same treatment at the hands of United on Monday.
Liam Rosenior is the favourite to take over at Chelsea, after interim manager Calum McFarlane helped the Londoners clinched a share of the spoils away at Man City, while United legend Darren Fletcher has taken over on an interim basis following Amorim’s exit from Old Trafford.
Both Chelsea and United bosses will hope that a managerial change can ensure a more successful second half of the season. And in turn, Liverpool should be wary.
With the Reds losing nine out of 12 matches during the autumn, Slot’s own position was under increasing pressure. But a nine-game unbeaten run, albeit one including four draws, has quietened any uncertainty about his future.
Yet Liverpool have still not been at their best with their style of play proving to be a frustration for supporters.
While they sit fourth in the table, it has as much to do with the failings of their rivals below them as their own upturn in results.
Sure enough, Manchester United legend Gary Neville shared his belief after their draw with Fulham that while the Reds would qualify for next season’s Champions League, he was not expecting them to suddenly going on an impressive run during the second half of the campaign.
“The amount of times from me walking to a gantry and Liverpool score late on is unbelievable in this last couple of years,” he said on The Gary Neville Podcast. “It’s a bit of a dig when Liverpool win late on then, all of the sudden, they throw on our screens the Harrison Reed goal that is absolutely... wow, what a goal that is.
“Alisson is the absolute best, I haven’t got anything negative to say about him as a goalkeeper. To beat him from there takes some doing and it was a special strike.
“It would have gutted Liverpool. They are not at their best, they are conceding goals still and are not quite right at the front.
“Liverpool look like they are going to finish in the Champions League places, partly because they are good enough to but partly because there are teams around them that are not good enough to knock them out. That’s going to be the reality of Liverpool.
“They have got enough good players up top, (Mohamed) Salah is going to come back. They are going to get there in terms of the Champions League but are nowhere near at the levels of last season.
“But they are not going to shock us and go on a great run in the second half of last season because they’re still making quite a lot of errors and mistakes.”
After dismissing Maresca and Amorim, both Chelsea and United will be hoping to prove Neville wrong.
And while Liverpool might not be nine games unbeaten, ahead of Thursday’s trip to league-leaders Arsenal, such managerial changes - and the possibility of a new manager bounce - reiterate the need for improvement at Anfield.
The Reds might currently sit three points clear in the top four despite an underwhelming first half of the season, but that does not mean they can take their current position for granted.
Liverpool bosses might have stuck with Slot even when results were going against the Reds, with relations between them as strong as ever.
But with Chelsea and Manchester United both taking a different approach, opting to twist rather than stick with off-field tensions ultimately deciding Maresca and Amorim's fates, only time will tell if such changes pay off.