Arsenal’s next six Premier League fixtures compared to Liverpool and Man city as Arteta Men set for another struggle after confirming two key players departure today
Liverpool moved three points clear at the top of the Premier League and five points clear of Manchester City after their 4-2 win over Newcastle United.
Mohamed Salah (2), Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo were on the scoresheet in a hustle-and-bustle clash between the two sides. However, it was far from smooth sailing for the Reds as Alexander Isak and Sven Botman were on target for the Magpies.
Salah signed off before his Africa Cup of Nations exploits with a brace, as well as a missed penalty, to get the calendar year off to the perfect start for the Reds.
Arsenal squandered two opportunities to reclaim their place at the top, during the festive period, after suffering back-to-back London derby defeats against West Ham United and Fulham. Their New Year’s Eve disappointment came after Marco Silva’s side came from behind to win 2-1 after Bukayo Saka opened the scoring, but Raul Jimenez sparked the fightback before Bobby Decordova-Reid completed the comeback.
Aston Villa sit second after coming out on top in a dramatic win over Burnley. Douglas Luiz scored a stoppage-time penalty in their 3-2 win over the relegation-strugglers.
Manchester City also maintained their pursuit of hacking away at the points deficit with a comfortable win over Sheffield United. The Citizens will be buoyed by the imminent return of Kevin de Bruyne, Jeremy Doku and Erling Haaland.
Now Liverpool have earned a three-point cushion at the top of the table, here is how the upcoming Premier League fixture lists of the Reds and their rivals look…
Liverpool next five fixtures
Position: 1st, 42 points, +23GD
Bournemouth (A) – Sunday, January 21
Chelsea (H) – Wednesday, January 31
Arsenal (A) – Sunday, February 4
Burnley (H) – Saturday, February 10
Brentford (A) – Saturday, February 17
Other important dates to be aware of in this period:
Arsenal (A, FA Cup third round) – Sunday, January 7
Fulham (H, Carabao Cup semi-final first leg) – Wednesday, January 10
Fulham (A, Carabao Cup semi-final second leg) – Wednesday, January 24
Potential FA Cup fourth round fixture – January 27/28
Aston Villa next five fixtures
Position: 2nd, 42 points, +16GD
Everton (A) – Sunday, January 14
Newcastle United (H) – Tuesday, January 30
Sheffield United (A) – Saturday, February 3
Manchester United (H) – Sunday, February 11
Fulham (A) – Saturday, February 17
Manchester City next five fixtures
Position: 3rd, 40 points, +24GD
Newcastle United (A) – Saturday, January 13
Burnley (H) – Wednesday, January 31
Brentford (A) – Monday, February 5
Everton (H) – Saturday, February 10
Chelsea (H) – Saturday, February 17
Man City also have a game in hand on Liverpool and their other rivals due to their recent participation in the FIFA Club World Cup, which they won for the first time in their history. This will be the reverse fixture against Brentford, which at this point has not been given a rescheduled date.
Arsenal next five fixtures
Position: 4th, 40 points, +17GD
Fulham (A) – Sunday, December 31
Crystal Palace (H) – Saturday, January 20
Nottingham Forest (A) – Tuesday, January 30
Liverpool (H) – Sunday, February 4
West Ham (A) – Sunday, February 11
