‘Goodnight!’ – Paul Merson raises instant Liverpool concern after Arsenal v Chelsea draw | OneFootball

It’s been far from a bad weekend from a Liverpool Football Club perspective.

A comprehensive 2-0 win over Aston Villa saw Arne Slot’s men capitalise on Brighton’s 2-1 victory over Manchester City, whilst fellow title challengers Arsenal stumbled to a draw against Chelsea on Sunday.

All involved at Anfield can rest easy heading into the international break with a five and nine-point over City and the north London-based outfit respectively.

How about those pre-season expectations, eh?

Paul Merson has serious Arsenal concern

(Pictures courtesy of Sky Sports)

Paul Merson was, rather understandably, feeling a little concerned about his old club’s title chances after giving Liverpool their flowers in the pre-match buildup.

“As he [Mikel Arteta] says, he’s got to get the players fit now. He’s got to fill the tank up. That’s the main thing,” the former England international said on Sky Sports‘ coverage.

“You can have flat tyres but if you ain’t got diesel or petrol in it, that’s the main thing. That’s what he’s got to do, he’s got to fill them back up again and they’ve got to go on a run.

“They’ve got to make sure this goes down to six points before it gets to 12 points. If it gets to 12 – goodnight!”

It’s a relatively soft re-entry back into competitive club football after the November international break with Slot’s side facing Southampton on the south coast.

However, any club with a serious stake in the Premier League title race would be lying through their teeth if they’re not keeping one eye trained on December 1’s titanic tie between the Reds and Man City.

Arsenal will do well to catch Liverpool in the Premier League

Jamie Redknapp reminded Paul Merson that he’d claimed Arsenal’s clash with Chelsea was a “must-win” game for the Gunners: “You said they’d be out of the equation! Are they back in it now?”

“I don’t think they’re back in it. I still think they’ll do well to catch Liverpool, I do,” the 56-year-old

“But, if they can get it to six before it goes to 12, which is important, when that may be (it might stay at nine until the end of December). As long as it goes to six before 12, because if it goes to 12 it’s finished.

“If it goes to six, then it’s hardly anything, isn’t it? But Arsenal haven’t got a mistake in them. Liverpool do have a mistake in them because they’ve got such a big lead on Arsenal.”

It’s difficult to rule Arteta’s side out of the process at such an early stage – not to say there isn’t at least a temptation!

That said, it would be remiss to think that a further hurdle – not akin to the unexpected blip of a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Anfield back in mid-September – doesn’t lie in wait for Liverpool.

Manchester City will no doubt be looking to correct our course in their favour in December, but at least we look to have some buffer to work with in case things don’t go our way.

On the flip side of the coin, of course, this is a Liverpool side in red-hot form. Who’s to say they won’t traverse this latest speed bump with the calm aplomb that has defined the Slot era thus far?