Alisson hands win to rival gunning for top spot

The Premier League title race just got a lot tighter.

Arsenal benefited from two second-half errors from Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker to claim a 3-1 victory over the league leader on Sunday.

Arsenal moved up to second place and just two points behind Liverpool after 23 of 38 games, in what might shape up to be a three-way fight for the title.

Manchester City is five points off Liverpool in third place, but with two games in hand. The defending champion will likely be very happy with the result at Emirates Stadium. City traveled away to Brentford on Monday.

Liverpool fell to only its second loss in the league, with the other also coming in north London — at Tottenham. If that defeat came in contentious circumstances, this one was of Liverpool's own making. It was not just that the Merseyside outfit was dominated for large parts of the game, but also the nature of Arsenal's crucial go-ahead goal in the 67th minute.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta hopes the mature way they recovered from conceding an equalizer shows that the team now has the attributes required of potential champions.

"We are there, that's for sure. We want to continue to be there," he said.

"We've been really consistent all season, if we weren't, we would not be where we are today.

"We take it game by game. We have learned that from last season."

After blowing the lead in its 1-1 draw at Liverpool in December, then missing a host of chances in an FA Cup third round defeat to Jurgen Klopp's team in January, Arsenal was intent on proving a point to the visitors from Anfield.

"It was an extraordinary game. An incredible performance from the players and our people. That's the best atmosphere I've seen all season. We demanded that," Arteta said.

"They put their heart and soul into every single ball. I cannot be any prouder because I know how hard it is to beat this team, how much you have to suffer and how much you have to process to do what we did on the ball."

Alisson, widely seen as the league's best goalkeeper, came out of his area in an attempt to clear a long pass forward, but kicked fresh air, and the ball hit the back of covering defender Virgil van Dijk. Gabriel Martinelli had the simple task of tapping the loose ball into an empty net.

The same Liverpool players had a role in Arsenal's stoppage-time third, too, with Leandro Trossard's shot deflecting off the outstretched boot of Van Dijk and going through the legs of Alisson as he tried to make the save at his near post. Liverpool was down to 10 men at that point, following Ibrahima Konate's sending off for a second yellow card.

Bukayo Saka gave Arsenal the lead in the 14th minute, only for Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes to score an own-goal, when the ball struck his hand and flew into the net.

That pulled Liverpool level at halftime, despite not having a shot on goal in the first half, in what was a below-par display by the current league leader.

"It just shows that the boys are human beings," Klopp said. "Today we were really human."

Arsenal is back within sight of the top slot after a third straight win, which came after a run of three consecutive losses in all competitions, leading to doubts over the title credentials of last season's runner-up.

"We were top at Christmas and then had a few sloppy results," Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice said. "We seem to have got ourselves back on the right track."

Hojlund's streak

Manchester United's Rasmus Hojlund failed to find the net in his first 14 games in the Premier League. Now he cannot stop scoring.

The Denmark striker marked his 21st birthday by bulging the net for the fourth straight league game, setting United on its way to a 3-0 win against West Ham United at Old Trafford.

Alejandro Garnacho, a 19-year-old winger, netted the other two goals in the second half — and celebrated the first of them by perching on an advertising board with Hojlund and 18-year-old midfielder Kobbie Mainoo. They are three young players around whom United is building its future.

"I think that picture covers the lot — how they are together and want to play football with adventure and enjoyment," United manager Erik ten Hag said. "If we keep this process going, I am sure we will achieve high levels."

United's current level is sixth place, a point above West Ham in seventh and six points behind Tottenham in fifth.

Pressure on Poch

The pressure is back on Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino after a second straight, four-goal loss in the league, this time a 4-2 defeat at home to Wolverhampton.

It came four days after a 4-1 hammering by Liverpool at Anfield, and resulted in jeers around Stamford Bridge at the final whistle, after a wild game, during which Brazil striker Matheus Cunha scored a hat trick for Wolves.

With his team languishing in 11th place, Pochettino accepted Chelsea's players "are not matching the history of the club. I'm disappointed," he said. "I apologize to the fans."

He will likely now be looking to the upcoming English League Cup final against Liverpool on Feb 25 to secure some season-saving silverware and, maybe, exact a little revenge.

Agencies