Manchester City dropped to second in the Premier League table after defeat at Bournemouth with Liverpool the new leaders.
Arne Slot’s side came from behind to win 2-1 at Anfield and are now two points clear at the summit. Pep Guardiola’s side fell to a disappointing defeat on the south coast as their unbeaten start to the top flight season was ended.
There was also defeat for Arsenal who slipped to a 1-0 loss to Newcastle United in the lunchtime kick off to fall further off the pace. The Gunners could end the weekend as low as as sixth with their title challenge already seemingly faltering.
Mikel Arteta’s side twice threw away a lead against Liverpool last week and Reds boss Slot referenced that resilience and their come from behind success against Brighton when speaking about his side profiting from Arsenal and City’s defeats. ‘I am convinced’ – Ruud van Nistelrooy defends two players Manchester United signed for £78million
“It’s not because they lost, but what I do like is last week we were two times one goal behind against Arsenal, 1-0 and 2-1, and two times we were able to fight back,” he said.
“In this game we were 1-0 down at half-time – I think we deserved to be – and then to come back so strongly against a quality team, to come back the way that we did gives me a lot of confidence.
“But I also said to the players the 45 minutes of football we played in the first half, that will punish you somewhere. We need to show up from the start.”
For Arteta it is now one point from nine ahead of games against Inter Milan and Chelsea before the international break. The gap of five points to City and seven to Liverpool already looks a wide one, but the Gunners chief doesn’t feel his side are faltering amid the pressure at the top.
“I didn’t feel that,” he said after the loss at Newcastle. “I think I would have felt it at the beginning of the game. I didn’t have that feeling. What I did feel was that when we fell behind it we lacked threat and more capacity to go and hurt them.
“We weren’t consistent enough and when we gave the ball away we were in transition and allowed them to run or sustain attacks. It’s not about the hope of winning the title, it’s about being our best selves every single week. Today we weren’t our best version.”
