Liverpool created plenty of chances at Old Trafford, but ultimate their lack of ruthlessness in front of goal saw them pegged back in a game they eventually took a point from

Week after week Liverpool supporters were cast in the role of fans of other teams, hoping against hope that someone, anyone could do them a favour.

The Premier League title races of 2019 and 2022 were compelling watches for the neutral, but for Reds fans they ended up consisting of weekly agony.

Their own team would win, but then Manchester City would win too. When the dust had settled City had always stayed that one point ahead.

In carelessly drawing at Manchester United on Sunday Liverpool have handed an advantage to Arsenal, but it isn’t the same type of advantage as those two fruitless chases of City.

For starters it is a slimmer one, only goal difference, and so there’s an argument it isn’t really a tangible advantage at all given the fluid nature of football and the fact that you could in theory rack up goals at any point. If you don’t miss loads and loads of chances like Liverpool did at Old Trafford that is.

The second way it is different is that it is Arsenal who are the hunted now, not City. What follows now is six weeks of tension featuring seven incredibly nervy fixtures for the Gunners, and that’s before you even consider the Champions League.

Liverpool were disappointing in front of goal at Old Trafford (
Image:
Offside via Getty Images)
Even though Arsenal are enjoying the benefit of it now it is still extremely likely that the title won’t come down to goal difference because of the way football works, with one result heaping pressure on another.

What Liverpool’s result has done is merely bring clarity to the minds of the three combatants over what they need to do. Manchester City lurking there one point behind does that too, and the outcome of this weekend is clear. Namely that we are now at a point that if any of the three teams wins all seven of their remaining matches then they will almost certainly win the league. It’s as simple as that.

Arsenal and Manchester City are separated by a point, with Liverpool in between them (
Image:
Dave Shopland/REX/Shutterstock)
Who are the most likely then? Right now the vibes would make you say Arsenal. But while they certainly have the ability to do it, they have the toughest fixtures and a gruelling potential meeting with City in the Champions League semi-finals ahead.

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Liverpool will probably create enough chances to do it, but they are far too guilty of both a lack of ruthlessness in front of goal and commitment to chaos that invites chances for their opponents.

City then? Well yes, they are the most probable simply because, well, look at them. Bet365 make City 5/1 to win all seven of their remaining matches, with both Arsenal and Liverpool at 10/1. Those aren’t the same as title winning odds obviously, and it is also true to say that if City were the next of the three teams to slip, and someone will, then it could be potentially fatal for them.

They are used to operating on a knife-edge though, and it would be a surprise to no-one if they reeled off those seven wins just as they did in 2019 and 2022 when they pipped Liverpool.

Do that and they’ll win it. But then so will Arsenal. And so will Liverpool. The Reds’ result at Old Trafford did damage them but it hasn’t really handed a definitive advantage to anyone, and has instead just sharpened the focus. Seven hurdles await, and glory lies beyond them.