Premier League title race: How Liverpool showed Arsenal what it takes to finish first as Arne Slot gets win over Mikel Arteta

Liverpool have demonstrated that they are more capable of winning the title than Arsenal, Reds expert David Lynch has insisted.

Arne Slot's Merseysiders are top of the table in the Premier League, with their 1-0 victory against Mikel Arteta's Gunners on August 31 leaving them as the only team in the top flight with nine points from nine.

The game itself was a dull affair that was ultimately decided by Dominik Szoboszlai's late free kick, and some fans and pundits were critical of Arsenal's perceived defensive approach.

Lynch claimed that Liverpool's willingness to attack means they are more likely to accumulate the points necessary to win the title, when he told Sports Mole: "Arsenal were Liverpool's closest challenger last season, whatever that's worth, but that style of football, when that is their mentality, is that going to be enough to get over the line?

"If you have to get 90 points to win the Premier League, are Arsenal going to be capable of that? They haven't done it in these last three years - 89 is the closest they've got.

"Can teams get over that 90-point barrier without being more expansive, without sometimes throwing caution to the wind? Arsenal look like a side that is not going to have, come the end of a season, a really high expected goals total, and that was their biggest problem last year."

Though Liverpool have been criticised for their defensive performances in the opening stages of the campaign - they surrendered two-goal leads in their first two fixtures - the Reds won the league in 2024-25 despite conceding seven more times than Arsenal.

How important was Liverpool's win against Arsenal in the title race?

Though the season is only in its infancy, the significance of a victory against a title rival should not be understated.

Arsenal had not been beaten by any of England's traditional top six in a Premier League match since April 2023, a period encompassing 22 games undefeated.

Speaking to Sports Mole, Lynch insisted that the win has changed the outlook of the title race, saying: "It feels massive in terms of narrative. Everyone was talking about Liverpool and whether they were going through transition while Arsenal have done really smart business.

"There's been a lot of talk about them being seen as favourites for the title and yet they turned up to Anfield and it's not happened for them. There is such a long way to go, but I thought the Arsenal performance, you wouldn't find it particularly encouraging.

"It may be early stages, but if you can get a lead over Arsenal at any point, it is a good time to do it. They have that three-point cushion and they'll hope to keep hold of that till the end of the season. It has dealt a mental blow to Arsenal as they haven't gotten over the line in these tight games. A good day for Liverpool, not a good one for Arsenal."

The victory will also mean that there will likely be less pressure on the Reds to win the reverse fixture at the Emirates, and they can perhaps be satisfied with a point in London.

Why Liverpool could beat Arsenal to the 2025-26 Premier League trophy

Some supporters have expressed renewed optimism that the Reds could win the title in 2025-26 in a similar manner to their triumph in 2024-25, a campaign in which they won the league with four games to spare.

The Merseysiders have beaten Bournemouth, Newcastle United and Arsenal in their first three matches of the season, picking up four more points than in the corresponding fixtures last term.

Lynch was pleased that Liverpool's riskier approach to matches has earned them positive results, telling Sports Mole: "Arsenal are defensively good, but it does help if you turn up with three defensive midfielders, four centre-halves across your back four and play like that, which was trying to win the game through set pieces.

"They created 20 less expected goals than Liverpool last season. That is their problem, and perhaps Eze will solve that, but probably not because when it's that big of a difference, that's systemic, that's getting people in the box, that's not throwing caution to the wind at times.

"Liverpool didn't create a bucket load against Arsenal, but they were the ones trying to win that game. Curtis Jones gets the wrong side of Zubimendi, and that's how they get the free kick, and it's through playing quick passes, trying to be expansive. Arsenal don't do that - have they reached a plateau under Mikel Arteta?"

Slot's side were the best offensive team in the league in 2024-25, with their tally of 86 goals 17 more than second-placed Arsenal managed.

> Click here to listen to the full discussion on why Liverpool showed their title credentials against Arsenal