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Robbie Savage’s Winners & Losers: Title is Liverpool’s after Arsenal blow another chance

Robbie Savage

In association with Planet Sport Bet, Robbie Savage will give us his Winners and Losers from the weekend’s action…

Robbie Savage lauds Liverpool for seizing the opportunity to tighten their grip on the title, thanks in part to Arsenal blowing it…


Robbie’s winners

My Winners this weekend have to be Liverpool.

What a win at the Etihad! To go there and control the game the way they did, scoring two great goals, especially after Arsenal lost at home to West Ham, was a champions’ performance.

We can say already, before the end of February, give the title to Liverpool now!

They have 11 games remaining, and seven of them are at Anfield. Without question, it’s Liverpool’s title. And they could wrap it up very, very quickly, maybe when they play Arsenal with two games to go at Anfield. That could be the day that they win their 20th league title.

Liverpool will be grateful to West Ham, who badly needed a win for their own ends. They went to Arsenal without a win in four, but a performance full of fight and tactical discipline offers huge encouragement going forward for Graham Potter.

It was arguably an even bigger win for Wolves. They took advantage of playing against 10 men for two-thirds of the game to nullify a Bournemouth side that have been flying this season. In Matheus Cunha, they have such a special talent. When the big clubs come for him in the summer, at least it looks like he would be leaving Wolves with their Premier League status still intact after they opened up a five point gap on the teams below them.


Robbie’s losers

With Liverpool as my Winners, the Losers have to Arsenal.

What an opportunity they had to put pressure on Liverpool, playing a day earlier, against a struggling West Ham side at home. It was an unbelievable chance to close the gap to five points, with Liverpool playing City at the Etihad on Sunday.

But no, again, they couldn’t do it. It was a massively disappointing display from Arsenal. Yes, they’ve been great all season, but it looks like they’re going to finish in second place – again.

This season is a big opportunity missed for Arsenal, with Man City certainly not as great or as dominant as they have been. They’re not going to win the Premier League – it’s Liverpool’s!

Of the top seven, only Liverpool and Newcastle won. Chelsea had a great chance to move into the top four, but they couldn’t hold on at Villa, going down to a fourth defeat in their last five games. Enzo Maresca has a few pressing problems, but finding a new goalkeeper has to be near the top of his to-do list in the longer term.

Nottingham Forest could have taken advantage of most teams around them slipping up, but they too caved in. Conceding four goals in 11 minutes is poor by anyone’s standards, but it was most unlike Forest this season. They rallied well in the second half at St James’ Park, but the damage was done.

At the other end of the table, it was another wretched weekend for my old club Leicester. That’s six consecutive home defeats, all without scoring, setting a new top-flight record. I feel for Ruud van Nistelrooy – he inherited a poor team, but they are toothless in attack and wide open at the back. Wolves’ win leaves them five points from safety and I can’t see where or how they make up that gap.

Southampton definitely won’t claw back their deficit. Another miserable home defeat, this time to Brighton, leaves them still below the Premier League’s worst-ever team. Will they do me a favour?!

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