A few days ago, specifically before Liverpool faced off against Tottenham, Dutchman Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool’s captain, refused to raise the white flag, despite the difficulty of competing for the Premier League title with Arsenal and Manchester City.
Van Dijk said in statements that the Reds have reached the last three matches of the season and that the finish line is approaching, adding, “But this does not mean that we will underestimate anything, as we have a commitment to fight for our fans, and to compete until the end.”
At that time, Liverpool was in third place, 8 points behind Arsenal (the leaders at the time) and 7 points behind the Citizens.
Van Dijk said: “If we had won the last three matches, our position might have been different at the end of the tournament. Look at the standings, and you will understand what we can reach. But whatever happens, we want to finish the season in the best possible way.”
He added, “We want to win the largest number of matches. It is not expected that Arsenal or Manchester City will stumble, but we have to be ready if that happens. We want to get 9 points.”
Liverpool succeeded in reducing the gap after its victory over Tottenham, raising its score to 78 points, while Arsenal’s score became 83 points, while City’s score was 82 points, but the latter had a postponed match.
Yesterday, Manchester City destroyed Liverpool’s chances of winning the title this season, following its landslide victory over its counterpart, Fulham, with four goals to none. Thus, City raised its score to 85 points at the top of the Premier League table, while Arsenal remained in second place with 83 points.
With two matches remaining until the end of the tournament, Liverpool, even if it wins them, will not reach Manchester City’s tally, and thus it has officially lost the possibility of winning the title, as its points tally will only increase to 84 points.
Thus, the competition is limited to Manchester City and Arsenal, and if they win, City will win the title for the fourth time in a row.
Arsenal’s chances lie in winning two matches and City losing one, or perhaps tying one, because in this case they will be tied on points, but the goal difference tends to favor Arsenal.
Arsenal’s task may not be easy, as today, Tuesday, they will face a shaken Manchester United team in a difficult match at home, while City will face Tottenham at the latter’s stadium in London later, which is also not an easy match.
In the final week of the tournament, City will host West Ham United, while Arsenal will host Everton.
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