Gary Lineker has revealed his Premier League title prediction after Manchester City thumped Liverpool to close the gap on Arsenal.
Man City came roaring back into the title race with a hugely impressive 3-0 win over defending champions Liverpool on Sunday.
Erling Haaland and Nico Gonzalez scored first-half goals and Jeremy Doku added Man City’s third in the second half as Pep Guardiola enjoyed a convincing win in his 1,000th game in charge.
Manchester City’s statement win leaves them second in the Premier League going into the November international break, four points behind early pacesetters Arsenal.
The Gunners, bidding to win their first league title since 2004, have been by far the best team in England this season but dropped two points away at Sunderland on Saturday.
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Liverpool, meanwhile, are just eighth in the Premier League – eight points adrift of Arsenal – after losing five of their opening 11 games of the season.
Lineker insists Man City are ‘certainly picking up’ after an unconvincing start to the campaign but still ‘fancies’ Arsenal to win the title.
‘Arsenal are not chasing anyone this season, they’re actually out in front and that will help them,’ the ex-England striker said on The Rest is Football podcast.
‘Being in that position means if you don’t lose matches you’ll be okay and no one else has been incredibly consistent. Man City are picking up certainly but Liverpool have been very poor.
‘You would have to fancy Arsenal at the moment, really. We thought Liverpool were coming back to what they were last season with a couple of performances but today was a backwards step.
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‘If I was an Arsenal fan I would be feeling pretty good right now.’
Arsenal were on course for an 11th successive win as they came from behind to lead Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
But Brian Brobbey’s injury-time equaliser earned Sunderland a share of the spoils and forced Arsenal to settle for a point.
Arsenal’s minor setback is nothing compared to the dismal run of form Liverpool are enduring under Arne Slot, who won the Premier League in his first season at Anfield.
‘I think it is crisis time for Liverpool,’ former Manchester United captain Roy Keane said on Sky Sports.
‘It’s okay to lose to a club like Man City – it’s a tough place to come. But to lose seven in 10 – five league losses already – it has to be a crisis for a club like Liverpool.
‘I thought Liverpool looked like a really weak team today. The manager said he was pleased with the second half, but the game was over! It’s easy to play well when you’re not playing for anything.
‘I thought [Slot’s] assessment of the game was spot on. City looked stronger, technically better and more physical than Liverpool today.
‘[Liverpool] still had moments, they’ve always got quality, but the goals they’re giving away – their decision-making – was not good enough.
‘There was a lack of intensity, a lack of energy. The subs, when they came on, looked really soft. I think it is a crisis for Liverpool now.’
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