Man City and Arsenal keep heat on the Reds

With leaders Liverpool otherwise engaged, Manchester City and Arsenal have the chance this weekend to close the gap in what looks like the closest Premier League title race for years.

Juergen Klopp’s side hit back to beat Luton Town on Wednesday and stretch their lead to four points as they turn their attention to Sunday’s League Cup final against Chelsea.

Champions City, who like Arsenal have played 25 games to Liverpool’s 26, go to Bournemouth on Saturday night before Arsenal then try to settle some scores with Newcastle United.

Liverpool have 60 points to City’s 56 and Arsenal’s 55 with all three sides knowing the margins for error are minimal.

City’s draw with Chelsea last weekend snapped an 11-match winning streak in all competitions and altered the odds ever so slightly in the title race.

But a hard-fought victory over Brentford in midweek courtesy of Erling Haaland’s goal got them back on track, and Pep Guardiola’s side will be expected to dispatch a Bournemouth team they beat 4-1 this time last year as they chased Arsenal down.

Arsenal’s sensational start to 2024 suffered a bump on Wednesday as they lost 1-0 to Porto in their Champions League last16 clash, with no shot on target.

Mikel Arteta’s side can illafford any hangover from that game as they host Newcastle. Arteta was left seething about the match officials after a 1-0 defeat on Tyneside in November — describing them as “embarrassing and a disgrace”.

That was Arsenal’s first league defeat of the season but apart from a dip around Christmas they look better equipped to go the full distance this time after faltering in the face of a Man City onslaught a year ago.

While Manchester United are not in the hunt for the title, they will hope to mark the start of a new era with victory over Fulham on Saturday in their first game since Jim Ratcliffe’s acquisition of 25% of the club’s shares was completed.

Sixth-placed United will host Fulham in a buoyant mood as they seek to enhance their ambitions of catching Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa and finishing in the top four.

But United are likely to be without defender Luke Shaw for the rest of the season due to a muscle injury, the club said.

They have 44 points with Villa, who face Nottingham Forest on Saturday, on 49. Tottenham, on 47, have a weekend off.