Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City
Liverpool 2-1 Newcastle
Liverpool 7-0 Manchester United
Liverpool 2-2 Arsenal
Yes, to go 2-nil up at Anfield only to be pegged back to 2-2, conceeding in the 87th minute does feel like a defeat. But in the cold light of day, with the alcohol out of my system, I think it is a point gained.
After our draw to Liverpool, pundits and opposing fans have come together to claim that “Arsenal bottled the league at Anfield”.
Liverpool had the others in the top 4 at home this season – Manchester City, Newcastle and Manchester United. We were the only team to take a point off them and were so, so close to taking all 3.
So if we bottled the league by drawing at Anfield, what have City done losing there? And have Newcastle and Manchester United bottled top 4 by also losing? No. “Bottlers” is something that the press and opposing fans have been desperate to label Arsenal as.
I have written numerous times that in my book, Manchester City are favourites. No-one had us down as title challengers before the season begun. so I am not sure how we are now bottlers when we are battling for a title that no one expected us to be challenging for?
Yes, 8 points clear with 9 games to go looked a huge gap, but it really was not.
If we do not win the league, and in the run in only drop points to Liverpool and Manchester City, have we bottled it? If that scenario happens, it will be a run of 16 games, 14 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat. The draw happening at Anfield and the defeat away to Manchester City.
I am not sure how a team can be labelled as bottling the league due to failing to win at Liverpool or Manchester City – two of the best teams in Europe of the last decade.
It also seems to have been forgotten that we are still 6 points clear. The title is in our hands. The equation has not changed – win every game and we are champions.
So those outlets saying that Sunday was the end of our title challenge? I am not sure how they have worked that out.
With West Ham and Southampton up next, we are gauranteed being above City when we face them at the Etihad. That is 6 games to go.
I am sure that at the beginning of the season, we all would have taken being top of the league going into that City fixture.
The fact we are disappointed with just a point at Liverpool shows how far we have come this season.
We have taken 4 points from 6 this season against Liverpool. In our last 12 league games against them, we had only taken 5 points!
Anfield is a place we had not won at in the league since 2012. and not done the home and away double since 2009. It was always going to be a tough game.
Liverpool might be 8th, but that is more to do with their form against lesser teams. As mentioned above, they have won 3 out of 4 at home to those sides in the top 4. And they have only lost once at home all season.
If we go and finish 2nd in the league, on goal difference, behind Manchester City. Or even 3 points behind if we do not get the win at Newcastle, then no one can say we bottled the league. It will mean dropped points at Anfield, Etihad and St James Park.
Remember: Newcastle beat Manchester United and drew with Manchester City at home.
It will be the Everton away defeat followed up by the draw at home to Brentford that costs us. But even then, we get 90+ points and finish 2nd, I do not think we can have any complaints.
We are not Tottenham. They have the Spursy tag because of how often they miss it up, and how little they win. We have the 3rd most titles, the most FA Cups. Certainly not the silverware you would associate with a club that “has a history of bottling it” as some media are making out.
So we dust ourselves down and go again next weekend. West Ham away. and that is followed up by Southampton at home.
Win both and we will be at least 9 points clear of Manchester City going into the game against them (although they will then have 2 games in hand).
Stick with it guys. Winning a league title is not easy.
Keenos
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 
Most sensible thing I have see written in years. Bravo we don’t need to win all our games draw at city and win the rest is fine and should the unthinkable happen beat city a draw at Newcastle is fine.
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A draw at City and a draw at Newcastle would be enough. If we won our remaining games, there`d be nothing City could do about it. If someone offered me 3 draws and 5 wins from our remaining fixtures I`d settle for that right now. That would mean City would have to win every game (apart from against us) to win the league. If they do that then fair enough, I could live with it.
Up The Arse.
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The fact that Arsenal drew at Anfield, where the almighty Manchester City and up-and-coming Manchester United capitulated without scoring a single goal, is worthy of commendation.
The Arsenal of this season have more of mentality monsters than the early post-Invincible era. We’ll fight back, not because we’ve been underestimated, but because we’ve proven time and time again this season that we are up there owing to sheer grit and determination.
Mark you, Manchester City have European distractions ahead of them. And if Pep were to be asked the trophy he very much covets at this stage of his spell at the Blues, it would be the Champions League.
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The “ Bottling tag” is a load of crap,dreamed up by the Arsenal hating media to fit their narrative.It’s what they were hoping for & are bitterly disappointed it in reality hasn’t happened.Let them choke on it.
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Nice read.
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Only a halfwit thinks a draw at Anfield is a bad result and a bottle job. Before the season starts, there are certain grounds where you`d take a point and not even bother showing up. Liverpool has always been one of them. I was well pleased with our point on Sunday. Even straight after the game I was happy. We rode our luck and could easily have lost but we also showed our credentials as well. I`m more confident of winning the league now than I was before the game. Bring on the City game, I`m looking forward to it. They`ll not test us as much as Liverpool did in that 2nd half and even if they beat us, I`m certain we`ll take it down to the last game of the season. This Arsenal side are a team to be proud of and whatever happens, I know they`ll give it their all. And that`s all you can ever ask for as a supporter.
Up The Arse.
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Youngest team in the league, not a great deal of quality depth in the squad, a couple of important players out injured & not rated to get top four let alone win the title by most pundits at the start of the season. Even if they end up 2nd they’ve massively over achieved.
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Surprised they didn’t label Liverpool as bottlers when they drew at home to Totties during last season’s final run in where they finished second 1 point behind Man City. The media is full of Man Utd, Liverpool and Totty fans while receiving money from Man City oils. And they hate us. They hate us since Arsene Wenger came in and they hate us more when we were the Invincibles. They even convinced a few Arsenal fans to hate us too. Kudos to Edu and Arteta to weather this constant storm to top the league.
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