Liverpool moved one step closer to the Premier League title by beating Leicester City on Sunday, but they’re not over the line just yet. They could be by 10pm on Wednesday night, though, when the final whistle blows at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal remain the league leaders’ closest challengers, and kept the pressure up with a win at Ipswich on Sunday afternoon. Liverpool responded instantly, though, with Trent Alexander-Arnold coming off the bench to relegate Leicester and keep the Reds’ lead at the top at 13 points.
Next up for Arsenal is a match against Crystal Palace on Wednesday, with the game brought forward due to the Eagles’ FA Cup semi-final responsibilities over the weekend. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk plans to watch the London derby with his team-mates, allowing them to celebrate together if things go their way.
Liverpool’s celebrations were unusually quiet in 2020, the year of their last title win, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Fans hadn’t returned to stadiums by the time the season concluded, while the Reds couldn’t even celebrate on the pitch after a win of their own, as it was a Manchester City defeat against Chelsea which sealed the deal.
History could repeat itself on Wednesday, though Liverpool still have potential situations where they could clinch top spot in front of their own supporters. Here’s what you need to know ahead of Arsenal’s meeting with Palace at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal have already beaten Crystal Palace twice this season and are looking to make it three wins from three. Both the previous meetings came in December, with the Gunners following a Carabao Cup quarter-final win with a 5-1 league victory at Selhurst Park.
Another victory for Arsenal would keep alive their title bid – however faint their chances might be. Liverpool would be left needing three more points to make mathematically sure, but they can do that on Sunday.
Liverpool’s opponents on Sunday are Tottenham Hotspur, who shipped six against the Merseyside club before Christmas and then four more in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final. Even if Arsenal win on Wednesday, three points for Liverpool on Sunday would ensure they end the season as champions.
Even a point for Arsenal would leave the title celebrations on hold. The Gunners would find themselves 12 points adrift with four games to go, meaning just one point from Liverpool’s remaining games would get them over the line.
Van Dijk doesn’t expect Arsenal to drop points, though. “I expect Arsenal to win at home but yeah, if it doesn’t happen then I think it would be nice to be together,” he said when discussing plans to meet up with his colleagues.
“So however that may look, we will discuss in the next couple of days. But if Arsenal just win that game, what they probably expect they will do against a very good Crystal Palace, then we have to do our job at the weekend.”
Arsenal have suffered painful defeats against Crystal Palace before. Notably, a 3-0 reverse in April 2022 kicked off a three-game losing run which played its part in the Gunners narrowly miss out on Champions League qualification.
The stakes are even higher this time. Lose, and Liverpool will officially be Premier League champions while Mikel Arteta’s side will be left with a bit of work to do to hang on to second place.
Arsenal might have half an eye on their Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain, but Arteta insists they’re still taking their league responsibilities very seriously. “All we can do is delay that moment and from our side earn the right to finish as high as possible,” he said after Sunday’s win at Ipswich ensured they go into Wednesday’s game some six points clear of Nottingham Forest in third.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £192 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.
