Liverpool and Arsenal Clash at Anfield With the Premier League Crown on the Horizon

Some matches matter for what they are, and others matter for what they could become. Sunday's Liverpool-Arsenal clash falls into the second category. It's being played under a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the entire Premier League, the one left behind by the sanctions handed to Manchester City after being found guilty of breaching the league's financial rules between 2009 and 2018.

It's reasonable to think a case of this magnitude will end up affecting a whole host of English clubs, including several that no longer even compete in the top flight and whose revenues were impacted by what the Citizens achieved during those years. But for Arsenal and Liverpool, the matter carries different weight: they were the two clubs that gave Pep Guardiola's City the toughest fights for the throne after that investigated period, and they're also the leading candidates to claim the crown if the punishment knocks City out of the title race.

Both Andoni Iraola and Mikel Arteta have put together solid starts to the season, though each still has things to iron out. And if Manchester City ends up falling out of the race for the top spot, this clash could well turn out to be the opening battle of a rivalry that's just starting to take shape.

A Dynasty That Challenged Them for Years

Of the six Premier League titles Guardiola won in seven years, only the first falls within the period under investigation. Across the eight seasons examined, City were crowned champions three times, and only once, in 2013/14, was Liverpool the direct rival in the title race. The sting from that campaign still lingers: Brendan Rodgers' side led the table for most of the season until a costly slip by none other than Steven Gerrard cost them the top spot. The captain himself ended up leaving the club in 2015 without ever lifting the league title he chased so hard.

With Jurgen Klopp taking over, Liverpool returned to the top of the table and won their only title in 2020, though Guardiola pushed them into second place in the two seasons before and the two after that. There were campaigns in which the Reds topped 90 points, a tally that in almost any other context would have been enough to secure the championship.

For Arsenal, the blow came from a different direction. There were painful runner-up finishes in the final years of the Guardiola era, before his former assistant Arteta managed to break the streak with the 2026 title, but the deepest damage was felt earlier, with the exodus of stars from Arsene Wenger's Arsenal to City. It started with Emmanuel Adebayor's departure in 2009 and continued with Kolo Toure, Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri and Bacary Sagna, all lured away by bigger paychecks and bigger ambitions in Manchester. That drain cost the London club much of its ability to compete at the top for years.

Are They Ready to Make the Leap?

The deadline for City to exhaust their appeals is February 2027, and any sporting punishment handed down this very season could thrust Arsenal and Liverpool into a direct title fight. The problem is that neither side is firing on all cylinders just yet.

Arsenal sit atop the league alongside City itself, but the transfer window didn't fully fix the champions' weakest link: the attack. Injuries to Bukayo Saka and newcomer Christos Tzolis have hit hard, and Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres have combined for just 4 goals all season. Arteta's side keeps finding ways to pick up points, but knows it needs more to defend the title.

Liverpool, for their part, are a step behind in their process. Iraola is still working out a squad left somewhat unbalanced by Arne Slot. After a shaky start, the return of Alexander Isak, who already has 6 goals in 7 league matches following a difficult previous campaign, along with the steady emergence of Rio Ngumoha alongside Victor Munoz, has given the attack a different look. What's still missing is consistency from Florian Wirtz and summer signing Bradley Barcola within a system that demands intense pressing.

With Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United going through transitional periods, and Brighton and Brentford yet to fully establish themselves as contenders, the path looks clearer for Arsenal and Liverpool, even though neither has shown its best form yet. Sunday's meeting at Anfield could well go down as the opening chapter of that new rivalry.