Hits and misses: Three-horse title race hotting up already

Liverpool gatecrashing ‘two-horse’ Premier League title race

It was supposed to be a two-horse race. But Liverpool are showing that three certainly isn’t a crowd in the Premier League title party.

According to the bookmakers’ probabilities, Liverpool stand around a 25 per cent chance (3/1) of lifting the title come May with Arsenal at 26 per cent (11/4) and Man City at 40 per cent (6/4).

Arne Slot has a great knack of inspiring his Liverpool team to score at great times in matches – it goes a long way to explain why he’s overseen 10 wins from his 11 games in charge.

You never really felt Chelsea were under the cosh or under siege from sustained attacks but Liverpool are a ruthless team playing in this more controlled and pragmatic style of football. When they do go forward, they go forward with purpose and a thirst to score.

Chelsea restricted the Reds to just eight shots in the match – the fewest posted by a Liverpool team at Anfield since March 2021 – yet that was enough volume to win the game for Slot’s men. And in truth once they got their noses in front, Liverpool rarely gave Chelsea a sniff on their goal. It was a game management masterclass. Foul here. Tactical substitution there.

Enzo Maresca’s men never could get into a rhythm to make Liverpool sweat in the closing stages. That is the biggest change from the Jurgen Klopp days – instead of attack being the best form of defence, it’s now defence is the best form of defence.

It’s a tad stale to watch but Liverpool are trending upwards and are proving they could just be the gatecrashers at what was supposed to be another Manchester City and Arsenal title showdown. They have put themselves in the race.
Lewis Jones

James and Lavia provide exciting options for Maresca

Reece James and Romeo Lavia were two surprise inclusions for Chelsea at Anfield.

Both players have been plagued by injury issues in the past 12 months but had worked consistently well over the international break to prove their fitness enough to be trusted to start a game of this magnitude and importance in Chelsea’s season.

It was the right call too by Maresca as both of them were excellent for the 53 minutes of game time handed to them.

James was targeted by Liverpool with some direct ball over his shoulders in the first half but he certainly hasn’t lost any of his recovery pace and man-for-man strength as Cody Gakpo got little change off him.

Meanwhile, in the midfield, Lavia was purring with the ball, showing exceptional ability to play under pressure and find space before moving it quickly to his front players. These two make Chelsea a better team, no doubt. Maresca’s job is to keep them fit and firing for the long term. If he does that, the sky is the limit for this team.
Lewis Jones

City’s patience rewarded at Wolves

There were times when Manchester City were passing the ball from side to side, that supporters of other sides would have been urging for them to be more direct, but this is a team that has become convinced that their way of playing is the best way.

That was justified once more when they found the late winner at Wolves, albeit in controversial circumstances after a VAR review. Asked afterwards what the solution is when an opponent is sitting as deep as Wolves were, Pep Guardiola explained.

“Basically, stay in the position that you have to be. This is really, really important. Don’t become crazy. Otherwise, they make the transition. Be patient.” City were certainly that although it took them swapping their wingers to start to penetrate Wolves’ back line.

“Imagine a team that defends so deep, literally 11 players in the penalty box,” said Guardiola. “The spaces do not exist.” Savinho and Jeremy Doku certainly could not find them, Nelson Semedo, in particular, withstanding their threat in one-on-one situations.

The introduction of Phil Foden and Jack Grealish altered the dynamic. “Phil when he came in, making three, four runs, incredible passes from Jack.” That superior craft started to open Wolves up and John Stones’ header finally broke their resistance.

A long-range strike from left-back Josko Gvardiol, finding the top corner with his weaker foot, and a header from a corner. “Free-kicks, corners, individual actions.” It might not be what immediately comes to mind when one thinks of a fluid City at their best.

But despite the fact that Guardiola’s message afterwards was that sticking to their plan had been the key, the most striking thought after this three points was that City just have so many different ways to hurt teams. Erling Haaland anonymous? Another vital win.
Adam Bate

Wolves show heart – now they need points

Wolves dropped back to the bottom of the Premier League table, their own supporters aggrieved after another defeat that leaves them with just a solitary point from their eight games. And yet, despite being on the losing side, Gary O’Neil may be heartened.

The home support had chanted his name in the closing moments of the match – albeit before the winning goal went in for City – and there was sympathetic applause for the players and the coach as they trudged off. The efforts had been appreciated.

This was a far cry from the chaotic 5-3 defeat at Brentford which has led to supporters making their displeasure about O’Neil’s decisions audible for the first time. Given the defensive disarray, a heavy beating at the hands of City could have opened wounds.

Instead, Wolves defended with real resolve, suggesting a togetherness still exists despite their precarious position. There is talent in this team but O’Neil’s message has been that this will not be enough to stay up if they do not put the work in as a team.

“The big thing was how well the lads stuck to it compared to Brentford. Today shows the players that if you stick to it, how it can bridge gaps against good sides like it did today. So, just a nice learning point for the players. That needs to be the level.

“There is no excuses for not carrying out the detail you are given. And if they do, as you saw today, we have some quality that we can cause teams problems. The point I make to the players is that we have got loads of good players here, but so has everyone else.

“The whole league has good players. We need to be together. We need to be organised. We need to be detailed. We need to be able to respond to disappointment. All those little things are going to be far more important than just having good players out there.”

Even in defeat, this was an indication that Wolves retain that togetherness and organisation. Having faced four of the top eight at Molineux so far this season, the next half a dozen at home are against teams outside that. The hope is that it gets easier.
Adam Bate