Danny Murphy believes Liverpool may have demonstrated to Arsenal and others how they can outperform Manchester City as the race for the title reaches its final phase.
City were held to a 1-1 draw at Anfield on Sunday in an exciting game, leaving Arsenal at the summit of the Premier League standings heading into the international break.
Both the Gunners and the Reds have amassed 64 points, with the former leading on goal difference, and the Citizens trailing with 63 points and 10 games left to play.
Of note, Arsenal are set to visit City for their upcoming match on March 31st, with the belief that Mikel Arteta’s team must secure all three points to have any hope of finishing ahead of Pep Guardiola’s side.
Arsenal broke their league losing streak against City earlier this season when Gabriel Martinelli netted a late winner at the Emirates, but their last victory at the Etihad dates back to January 2015.
More concerning is that the Citizens have not been defeated in a home game in any competition since November 2022, when they were defeated 2-1 by Brentford.
Nevertheless, they have dropped points at home on four occasions in the league this season, namely against Liverpool, Tottenham, Crystal Palace, and Chelsea.
Furthermore, City’s recent performance at Liverpool exposed fundamental weaknesses in their setup, and Murphy is confident that teams can capitalize on this by following several key yet straightforward steps.
‘It’s very challenging to do, but we’ve seen it happen on a few occasions,’ stated the former Liverpool star on Match of the Day 2 when asked if others could replicate Liverpool’s strategies.
Chelsea did it twice, scoring four goals at home and clinching a draw in the away game. Tottenham did it when they visited City, scoring three goals there.
‘You need quality players who possess the physicality and stamina to contend with Man City. If you have that, along with the mindset and confidence that you're on par with them, you can trouble them.’
Even though they have several weeks to prepare, Arsenal will certainly approach the City match with confidence, considering they have won all their league games in 2024 with a combined score of 33-4.
Nevertheless, prior to the City encounter, they need to come from behind to defeat Porto in the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday, following a 1-0 loss in the first-leg.
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