The 2023-24 English Premier League title race is coming down to the wire with Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City all within one point of the top spot. On Sunday, outgoing manager Jurgen Klopp and his Liverpool side had a shot to grab first place, but choked against Manchester United, settling for a 2-2 draw and just one point in the EPL standings.
“We should have won the game, that is clear,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told Sky Sports after the match, per ESPN. “We should have had other goals in the first half already. As far as I’m concerned, we have a point more than we did before. They put an extra shift in, that’s how it is.”
After taking an early 1-0 lead in Manchester at Old Trafford thanks to a Luis Diaz goal, Liverpool went into the half holding on to that one-goal lead. In the 50th minute, Bruno Fernandes stole one back for the Red Devils, and 17 minutes later, 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo blasted a curling beauty into the top right corner to give Manchester United a 2-1 lead.
KOBBIE MAINOO SCORES AN ABSOLUTE BEAUTY.
MAN UNITED LEAD LIVERPOOL 2-1! #MUNLIV pic.twitter.com/AXy9PX57vW
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) April 7, 2024
In the 84th minute, Liverpool got lucky as United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka took down Harvey Elliott in the box leading to a Mohamed Salah penalty that knotted the match at two.
While three points would have put Liverpool two ahead of Arsenal with seven to play, Klopp knows the race for the EPL championship is not over yet.
“We don’t have many home games left. The team who wins the league in the end should deserve it. We are in the race and I’m absolutely fine with it,” the outgoing manager said.
So, with just a handful of games to play, who has the upper hand in the English Premier League title race?
Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal remaining schedule
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Arsenal currently has the lead in the Premier League standings with 71 points and a +51 goal differential. The London squad’s matches remaining include vs. Aston Vila, at Wolves, vs. Chelsea, at Tottenham, vs. Bournemouth, at Manchester United, and at Liverpool on the final day of the season.
Additionally, the Gunners are still in Champions League, with a two-sided tie against Bayern Munich coming up. That, coupled with the toughest schedule of the final three will make a title difficult for Arsenal.
Manchester City is in third right now with 70 points and a +40 goal differential. Their remaining tilts are at Tottenham, vs. Brighton, vs. Nottingham Forest, at Wolves, vs. Fulham, and at West Ham.
While the EPL schedule may be easy, City is still in the FA Cup, with a semifinal match vs. Chelsea coming up and two UCL quarterfinal dates with Real Madrid in the docket as well
Finally, Liverpool is tied for first points-wise with 71 but has a +42 goal differential, putting them in second place. To finish the 2023-24 campaign, they’ll go vs. Crystal Palace, at Fulham, vs. Everton, at West Ham, vs. Tottenham, at Aston Villa, vs, Wolves, and vs. Arsenal.
That schedule is somewhere between Manchester City’s and Arsenal’s. Klopp and company also have two Europa Semifinal tilts against Atalanta coming in mid-April.
In the end, that final Liverpool vs. Arsenal game could decide the English Premier League title as long as this draw against Manchester United doesn’t cost them too much.
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