Liverpool have reduced the gap between them and Man City, holding a valuable game in hand, with a chance to move even closer ahead of their trip to the Etihad in April.
A 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace saw the Reds flex their muscle as title contenders, with the timing of the win, a day after City’s 1-1 draw with Southampton, of vital importance.
With City dropping points for only the fifth time this campaign, Liverpool moved to within nine points of the league leaders, with a game in hand due to the postponed Boxing Day clash with Leeds.
Hopes of a title challenge have been restored, though the odds are still stacked against Jurgen Klopp‘s side with 16 league games left to play.
In theory, winning that game in hand will cut the gap to six points, but victory over City on April 9 would be even more valuable.
There are two months of fixtures between now and then, though, and here is who both Liverpool and City will play.
Liverpool
Cardiff (H) – February 6
Leicester (H) – February 10
Burnley (A) – February 13
Inter Milan (A) – February 16
Norwich (H) – February 19
Chelsea (N) – February 27
West Ham (H) – March 5
Inter Milan (H) – March 8
Brighton (A) – March 12
Man United (H) – March 19
Watford (H) – April 2
* Leeds (H) and Arsenal (A) still to fit into Premier League schedule
On paper, it is a straightforward run for Liverpool in the Premier League, with Leicester, Burnley, Norwich, West Ham, Brighton and Watford all sides they should expect to beat.
The visit of Man United sparks memories of that 5-0 rout at Old Trafford earlier in the campaign, with the challenge being to follow that up with another big win.
It will be a busy run, though, not least due to two Champions League clashes with Inter Milan and the League Cup final against Chelsea.
The Premier League will also be looking to squeeze in the postponed Leeds game, while a new date will need to be found for the trip to Arsenal, too.
Man City
Fulham (H) – February 5
Brentford (H) – February 9
Norwich (A) – February 12
Sporting CP (A) – February 15
Tottenham (H) – February 19
Everton (A) – February 26
Man United (H) – March 5
Sporting CP (H) – March 9
Crystal Palace (A) – March 12
Brighton (H) – March 19
Burnley (A) – April 2
Such is City’s robotic consistency, it is hard to see Pep Guardiola’s side dropping too many points between now and the visit of Liverpool.
But the draw at Southampton showed it is certainly possible, and City have a tougher run of fixtures than their title rivals, particularly as February turns to March.
Tottenham, Everton and Man United have all struggled at points throughout the campaign, but improvements under Antonio Conte, a new manager at Goodison and the added incentive of a derby win for United does make it a dangerous run.
City’s only defeats in the Premier League so far have come against Spurs and Crystal Palace, too, so there is evidence of their flaws at work.
If Liverpool do manage to catch up to City by reducing the points gap, reviving their title bid, the visit of Steven Gerrard‘s Aston Villa is set for the final day of the season at the Etihad…
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