EPL: Liverpool, Arsenal Title Chase Suffer Huge Blows, Lost to Crystal Palace, Aston Villa
Liverpool saw their chance at the EPL title suffer a big blow on Sunday afternoon with a second home defeat in the space of four days to Crystal Palace.
Jurgen Klopp’s men were hoping to shake off a UEFA Europa Cup 3-0 trashing to Italian side Atalanta on Thursday,
However, a bright start from the visitors saw Eberechi Eze find the back of the net in the 14th minute of the match
However, Liverpool’s final season under Klopp is unravelling.
The League Cup winners were on course for a quadruple just a few weeks ago.
But after crashing out of the FA Cup to Manchester United, Liverpool succumbed to a first home defeat in any competition for 14 months when Atalanta stormed Anfield on Thursday to take a 3-0 first-leg lead in their Europa League quarter-final tie.
Klopp’s men have now won just three of their last eight games in all competitions and are showing clear signs of fatigue after already having played 51 games this season.
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Slow starts have been a recurring theme of Liverpool’s struggles of late and they were again forced to come from behind.
Alisson Becker made his long-awaited return in goal for the home side but he had no chance when Eze was left with a simple finish from Tyrick Mitchell’s cross.
In a related vein, fellow title chaser, Arsenal’s Premier League chances also suffered a massive blow as Aston Villa struck twice in the closing stages to boost their top four bid with a dramatic 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Mikel Arteta’s side would have gone back to the top of the table with a victory, but instead they surrendered the initiative to Manchester City after conceding two goals in the last six minutes.
Leon Bailey put the visitors ahead and Ollie Watkins doubled their lead as Villa boss Unai Emery enjoyed a second sweet win this season over the club that sacked him in 2019.
Arsenal’s first defeat in 12 league games leaves them in second place, two points behind City, while third placed Liverpool are behind Arsenal on goal difference.
With just six games left, champions City are closing in on an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League crown.
