Premier League title race analysis:  Liverpool, Arsenal, or Manchester City are three-way Premier League title race

Liverpool, Manchester City, and Arsenal are divided by just two points as we reach the business end of the Premier League campaign, but which team is in pole position to claim the championship come May?

We take a look at each side’s possibilities, including pundit opinions from Gary Neville and Paul Merson, and have a deep dive into the facts.

Their attacking firepower has driven them to the top of the league and could still maintain them there. They have hammered 12 goals in the last four Premier League games without Mo Salah, a monument to their depth, and the Egyptian is now closing in on a return to fitness.

There is encouragement at the other end of the pitch too, as Virgil van Dijk has returned to anything approaching his greatest level, Alisson remains the Premier League’s unquestioned top goalkeeper, and Andrew Robertson is well again after four months away.

Could the revelation of Jurgen Klopp’s exit at the end of the season further help their chances? Certainly, the emotion should boost the atmosphere at Anfield. City still have to go there, remember, having only won one of their seven Premier League visits under Pep Guardiola, and that was without fans during the 2020/21 campaign.

Klopp has worked wonders with Liverpool’s midfield, revamping it nearly from scratch after the departures of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, James Milner, and Naby Keita last summer. But they still need a No. 6 to compete with Rodri or Declan Rice.

Another injury to Thiago Alcantara reduces their choices further in that section of the pitch, and, despite Van Dijk’s great form, there remain uncertainties in defense too, with Joel Matip’s absence leaving them reliant on the brilliant but sometimes injury-prone Ibrahima Konate.

They have only surrendered 23 goals, the second-fewest after Arsenal, but is the present rate sustainable? The underlying data suggests they give their opponents significantly better chances than City and Arsenal, with 29.63 expected goals against (xGa) handed up so far, compared to City’s 22.14 and Arsenal’s 18.05.

How long have you got? After 10 straight wins in all competitions and six in the Premier League, it feels like Manchester City are clicking into gear once more, ready to blow the competition away in the second half of the season yet again.

Guardiola’s players know exactly what it takes to get over the line, as they target an unprecedented fourth consecutive title success. They have recovered from far worse situations than the ones they found themselves in earlier this season.

Their strength in depth is unrivaled, allowing them to plough on even without players of the quality of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland. Now that the pair are back and the injury list is clear, there is an increasing feeling of inevitability about what comes next.

The fact that no other side has won four in a row is the primary one. Amid heavy opposition from Liverpool and Arsenal and still juggling three competitions, can they maintain the level required for a fourth consecutive season? There is a reason it has never been done before.

The other glimmer of hope for their rivals is that they look more defensively fragile than in recent campaigns. Having allowed in 25 goals in 23 games, they are surrendering at their best rate under Guardiola, even considering the 2016/17 campaign, when they finished third.

City have acquired a tendency to concede on their opponent’s first attempt on target. Their defence will face a stiff test when they face Manchester United, Liverpool, Brighton, Arsenal, and Aston Villa in consecutive games starting in March.

Arsenal are seen as the unlikeliest of the three contenders, yet titles are usually won by the finest defense, and the Gunners appear to have that this season. Their anticipated goals against a total of only 18.05 are unsurpassed, indicating their ability to restrict chances.

Arsenal could not find a level of cutting edge to match their defensive prowess in the early months of the season, but that appears to be changing. They have rattled in 16 goals in their last four outings. Have the floodgates opened?

Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli clearly appear to be hitting peak form, but improvement can also be noted in Martin Odegaard, Leandro Trossard, and Kai Havertz, with Gabriel Jesus still to come back too. Rice’s impact has been significant, and the guys appear hungrier and mentally stronger than previous seasons.

Last season’s capitulation looms over them. Having squandered such a huge lead over City when it appeared like they might never get a better chance, they now have a lot to prove in terms of staying power. These players do not have the same level of trophy-winning experience as their rivals.

For all Arsenal’s recent success offensively, there remain big question marks in the No. 9 position too. Jesus provides people with many things, but he is not a prolific scorer. Could the lack of an out-and-out striker with a lethal touch still cost them?

Unlike Liverpool, who escaped with a draw from their own visit, Arsenal also have to go to the Etihad Stadium, a formidable test at a place where they have a dreadful record. Given that the race could be determined by narrow margins, losing there could do great damage.

“I picked Arsenal as Premier League champions at the outset of the season when not many did. I do still think Manchester City, at this moment in time, appear menacing, but I want Arsenal to do it.

“As much as it would be a fantasy finish for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp and what it would mean to him and the club, for what Arsenal did last season, when they crumbled at the end,.

“I’d want to see them start the season slowly, be a bit messy, earn points up, and be in amongst it. But then they truly got their form in the last furlong. That’s where you need to hit form.

“Last season, their legs went, and their performances went in the last 10 games. We are getting to that point in the next few weeks.

“Arsenal have got a great chance; they’ve got a great team, a great manager, the back four are solid, the midfield is strong, and the front players are such a threat.”

“Arsenal are the team that are closest to Manchester City. Liverpool have a terrific manager, but I feel Arsenal are a better team. There is so much energy and emotion at Arsenal; that’s terrific, but we’re now coming into a run-in. When you think of Floyd Mayweather and Muhammad Ali, boxers who used to call it on with their excitement,.

“They were so great they could do it. Arsenal aren’t in a position to act like that. It’s helped them because they’ve not been in front and had no pressure or expectation. They need to sit there, sit there, sit there, and pounce at the end. That’s how they’ll need to win the league. Last season, I never imagined they’d win the league; this year, they can. They have more control. I’m feeling it for them.

“For Arteta to break Klopp and Guardiola would be huge for the Premier League; we want instability.

“Manchester City have been great; Guardiola is a genius, and Klopp is the best manager over the last six years, having worked against Guardiola with the resources he had. If Arteta could drive through the middle of them, that would be monumental. I can’t wait for the next three months. I want them to be regulated. To be determined. And to realize there is a long way to go.”