Liverpool ended the weekend the place they began — with a six-point lead over Arsenal on the high of the Premier League following an enthralling 2-2 draw at house to Manchester United.
The inconsistent Gunners will rue dropped factors at Brighton whereas Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea at the moment are winless in 4 video games.
AFP Sport seems to be at three speaking factors from the motion because the English high flight pauses for League Cup and FA Cup motion within the week to return.
Will Arsenal pay for lack of high striker?
Simply when it appeared as if Arsenal might put actual stress on Liverpool they stumbled at Brighton, drawing 1-1 — the ninth recreation by which they’ve dropped factors this season.
Solely Liverpool and Tottenham have scored greater than the Gunners’ tally of 39 Premier League targets however their high scorer is Kai Havertz, with simply seven.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah leads the way in which with 18 and Manchester Metropolis’s Erling Haaland has 16.
Arsenal huffed and puffed towards Brighton, mustering simply 9 photographs, with solely three on the right track.
In mitigation, Havertz was lacking with an sickness and captain Martin Odegaard was solely match sufficient for a spot on the bench whereas Bukayo Saka, Arsenal’s most harmful attacker, is a long-term absentee.
Arteta, whose workforce have completed as runners-up over the previous two seasons, could also be pressured to behave within the January switch window if he’s to present his aspect the sting they want.
Man Utd present indicators of life
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane stated the membership’s gamers “cannot simply decide and select if you wish to flip up for a recreation” after their battling draw at Anfield.
The Sky Sports activities pundit stated Ruben Amorim’s aspect, nonetheless floundering in thirteenth place within the Premier League desk, should again up their displaying once they face lesser sides.
United have had false dawns earlier than, beating Manchester Metropolis final month earlier than struggling defeats towards Bournemouth, Wolves and Newcastle, failing to attain a single aim in these three matches.
Amorim was perplexed after Sunday’s match, by which they confirmed spectacular spine and journey, echoing the frustrations of his captain Bruno Fernandes.
“The expectations have been so completely different to what we noticed throughout the recreation,” Amorim stated. “I get extra mad due to the opposite video games, as a result of it is even more durable to know different issues.
“It is not in regards to the system, the method, it is one thing else and that is laborious to know, even for the coach.”
Are Southampton the worst-ever workforce?
Southampton are on the right track to say the title of the worst workforce in Premier League historical past from Derby, who set their undesirable file within the 2007/08 season.
The Saints, promoted final season after a single marketing campaign within the Championship, have mustered simply six factors from 20 video games — even Derby had another level on the identical stage. They went on to win 11 factors in whole.
Southampton, who changed supervisor Russell Martin with Croatian Ivan Juric final month, have only one win this season.
They’ve misplaced 16 occasions and have a surprising aim distinction of minus 32.
An upbeat Juric stated final month that Saints “can do one thing distinctive” however he has overseen three defeats in his first three matches.
On Saturday, Southampton’s sorry season sank to a brand new low as they crashed to a 5-0 defeat at house to Brentford.
A dispirited Juric stated it was an “terrible” recreation.
“There has simply been two weeks however I anticipated extra, that I might do extra with the workforce,” he stated.
Southampton are nearly actually doomed however can they discover the power to a minimum of surpass Derby’s mark?
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