Roy Keane says why Liverpool are ahead of Arsenal in the Premier League title race
Liverpool are expected to be competing with Arsenal for the Premier League title again.
The Reds beat Mikel Arteta’s men to the title last season by 10 points, as Arne Slot won the Premier League in his first season in England.
Liverpool defeated Bournemouth 4-2 late on to get their title defence off to the perfect start on Friday at Anfield, while Arsenal grinded out a 1-0 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Roy Keane was part of Sky Sports’ punditry team for the Gunners’ trip to Old Trafford, and he explained why he thinks Liverpool have the upper hand in the title race.
Keane not impressed with Arsenal’s attitude
Keane has called out Arsenal for their poor style of play during their win at Man United.
The Gunners were poor at Old Trafford, allowing United to dominate the game and they relied on their defence to grind out the victory.
Arsenal were criticised regularly last season for their boring style of play, with many fans accusing them of relying too heavily on set-pieces to score, a theme which appears to have carried over into the new campaign.
| Statistics | Manchester United | Arsenal |
| Possession | 61% | 39% |
| Shots | 22 | 9 |
| Shots on target | 7 | 3 |
| Big Chances | 0 | 1 |
| Expected goals | 1.52 | 1.30 |
The Man United legend compared Arteta’s side’s approach to that of Liverpool and Manchester City, and how they are able to score goals for fun.
Keane said: “You wonder why Arsenal are still coming up short – it’s because they are still happy to sit back at 1-0.
“And then you think, is that the reason you drew so many games last year? You compare that to Man City and Liverpool.
“They are always looking to go on and get the second or the third. Even on a bad day, they can score two or three goals.”
Arsenal’s performance show that Liverpool shouldn’t worry just yet
Many were quick to criticise Liverpool’s performance against Bournemouth, with the Reds looking shaky in transition.
In truth, opening day performances shouldn’t be over-analysed due to rustiness, especially in the Reds’ case, given the tragic events that occurred over the summer.
Both Arsenal and Chelsea’s performances should put some perspective on where Liverpool’s performance levels should be at the moment, and the Reds will click into gear as the season wears on.
Should Slot’s side still struggle to perform well after 10 games, then fans should begin to panic, but a shaky defensive display on the opening day, where the Merseysiders were victorious, is not much to worry about thus far.
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