Arsenal had suffered back-to-back cup setbacks due to wasteful finishing and were once again let down in front of goal in Wednesday’s north London derby with Tottenham Hotspur.
As Declan Rice noted: “I think we were probably unlucky not to score 10 tonight.”
The Gunners managed to make it two after Son Heung-min’s opener to secure another Premier League berth win over Spurs at the Emirates Stadium. For once, Arsenal’s triumph came after a rare Liverpool failure, ensuring Mikel Arteta’s side are just four points off the division leaders.
This is what awaits both clubs for a few weeks that can define the season.
The Emirates will be scared when Aston Villa make the trip to north London on Saturday evening after crushing Arsenal’s title hopes with a 2-0 win last April. Unai Emery completed the double over Arteta last season, but the Gunners claimed some revenge by winning 2-0 at Villa Park at the start of the 2024/25 campaign.
Another West Midlands rival follows Villa’s visit, but Arsenal will have to make the trip to the Black Country to round off their January Premier League schedule. Wolves they have become quite an enterprising unit under new manager Vitor Pereira, and their desperation for points means that it will not be an easy game for the title contenders.
February meeting with perennial champions Manchester City would have been heralded as a potential title race model in pre-season, but the Cityzens’ woes mean they are barely in title contention. Even when you think they have returned, Pep Guardiola’s team goes and squander a 2-0 lead at Brentford.
Reports suggest Arsenal will use their free week the following weekend (following their FA Cup third-round exit) to return to Dubai for a warm-weather training camp. The Gunners’ trip to the Middle East last January inspired a remarkable resurgence in the second half of 2023/24, and supporters will be desperate for the camp to make a similar impact this time around.
They should be rejuvenated and healthier injury-wise when they meet Leicester on February 12 before hosting a West Ham team buoyed by the arrival of Graham Potter the following week.
|
Start date and time (GMT) |
fixation |
|---|---|
|
18/01/25 – 17:30 |
Arsenal vs Aston Villa |
|
25/01/25 – 15:00 |
Wolves vs Arsenal |
|
02/02/25 – 16:30 |
Arsenal vs Man City |
|
02/15/25 – 12:30 p.m |
Leicester vs Arsenal |
|
02/22/25 – 3:00 p.m |
Arsenal vs West Ham |
Liverpool have dropped points in consecutive Premier League outings, but their performance in the second half at Nottingham Forest suggested little sign of a major drop. They would have escaped the City Ground with three points had it not been for a monster display from Matz Sels.
However, Slot’s side will be tested in tougher environments in the coming weeks. Visit Liverpool Brentfordone of the highest scoring and best performing home teams in the division this season, the weekend before they face Bournemouth at Vitality on February 1.
Cherries have not been beaten on the south coast since November 23rd.
Ipswich visit Anfield between those two awkward tests, with Liverpool defeating Kieran McKenna’s side 2-0 on the opening weekend of the season.
everton fans will enjoy the midweek visit of the title favorites next month after the opening game at Goodison Park was postponed due to Storm Darragh. The Toffees prevailed in the corresponding fixture last season, and Liverpool have no work to do if they are to triumph in the latest Merseyside Derby held at Everton’s historic ground.
Liverpool’s next Premier League run concludes at home to the relegation-threatened side Wolves.
|
Start date and time (GMT) |
fixation |
|---|---|
|
01/18/25 – 3:00 p.m |
Brentford vs Liverpool |
|
25/01/25 – 15:00 |
Liverpool vs Ipswich |
|
02/01/25 – 15:00 |
Bournemouth vs Liverpool |
|
25/12/02 – 19:30 |
Everton vs Liverpool |
|
02/16/25 – 2:00 p.m |
Liverpool vs Wolves |
