Liverpool beat Man City 2-0 on Sunday (Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Reigning Premier League champions Manchester City fell 11 points behind leaders Liverpool on Sunday – indicating there will be a new champion of England crowned in May. City suffered a 2-0 defeat at Anfield, marking their fourth consecutive league loss and seventh match without a victory across all competitions.
They now sit outside the Champions League places in fifth position, looking to bounce back against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Liverpool have taken a significant lead in the league, sitting nine points ahead of nearest competitors Arsenal and Chelsea.
Both London teams also celebrated victories over the weekend, with Arsenal defeating West Ham and Chelsea overcoming Aston Villa.
As per a supercomputer prediction by Casino Hawks, Liverpool are set to clinch the title, which would be their first since 2020 when they went unbeaten until February under Jurgen Klopp and ended the season with 99 points. It would be their 20th title overall, tying them level with Manchester United.
The race is expected to be tight, but not with City. The predictions place Arsenal second, trailing Liverpool by just three points meaning they would have trimmed the current gap significantly. City are tipped to lag seven points further behind in third place.
Ruben Amorim’s Man Utd have been tipped to finish ninth (Image: Getty Images)
Manchester United, under the new leadership of head coach Ruben Amorim, have shown promise but the supercomputer remains sceptical about their chances of securing European football, placing them ninth, below Brighton, Newcastle and Brentford.
The Red Devils have never finished lower than eighth in a Premier League season. However, United could still secure a place in Europe through a cup victory, as they did in the 2023-24 season.
They are set to face Tottenham in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals and currently hold a play-off spot in the Europa League. Their FA Cup defence will commence in January’s third round.
The predicted Premier League table (Image: CASINO HAWKS)
Ruud van Nistelrooy, who served as interim manager for United, will now focus on keeping Leicester City in the Premier League.
However, the supercomputer predicts that the Foxes will fall short, placing them in the relegation zone alongside newly-promoted Ipswich and Southampton.
Despite leading the pack, Liverpool remain grounded. After their recent 2-0 triumph over City, manager Arne Slot emphasised the quality of the teams chasing them in the title race.
He said: “I don’t think anyone, including me, would have predicted this [start]. knew Jurgen [Klopp] left the team in a very good place.
“But, still, to win so much with all the difficult teams we have played already is not something you could predict at the start of the season. But, like I say, I saw Arsenal yesterday and Chelsea today and I saw City.
“They will come back because these teams have so much quality. They could go on the same run as us, so we have to stay sharp and focused.”
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1983429/Premier-League-supercomputer-Man-Utd-Arsenal-Liverpool