Liverpool Drop Points at Villa: Arne Slot Frustrated as Title Race Heats Up

Liverpool manager Arne Slot expressed his frustration after his side settled for a 2-2 draw against Aston Villa on Wednesday, a result that slightly weakens their grip on the Premier League title race.

Trent Alexander-Arnold salvaged a point for the league leaders with a 61st-minute equaliser, but Slot believes Liverpool should have taken all three points. The Reds now sit eight points ahead of Arsenal, but the Gunners have a game in hand and could cut the gap further when they host West Ham on Saturday.

Missed Chances Prove Costly

Liverpool had opportunities to put the game to bed, none more glaring than Darwin Nunez’s miss in the second half when he failed to convert into an empty net from close range. Villa also had chances to snatch victory, with Donyell Malen narrowly missing a golden opportunity in the final seconds.

Slot, however, was left disappointed that his team did not take full advantage of their dominance.

“The only reason why we could be happy with the 2-2 was that they got the last chance of the game,” Slot admitted. “That could be the only reason where we could say a point is good to take.

“For everything else, I’m not happy with 2-2. I wasn’t happy at all being 2-1 down at half-time, it didn’t reflect the first half at all.”

Despite the draw, Liverpool’s form remains formidable. They have now gone 22 consecutive league matches unbeaten, winning 15 in that stretch. It is their longest such run since their historic 44-game unbeaten streak between January 2019 and February 2020, which ended in them winning the title.

Title Race Still in Liverpool’s Hands

Even with Wednesday’s draw, data analysts Opta still project Liverpool as title winners, predicting they will finish on 87 points, six ahead of Arsenal. However, their probability of securing the league has dropped from 87.65% to 84.79%, while Arsenal’s chances have risen from 12.35% to 15.13%.

No other team is given more than a 1% chance of winning the title, further underlining the battle as a two-horse race.

Liverpool’s recent run-in has been challenging. They conceded a last-gasp equaliser in the Merseyside derby against Everton last Wednesday, scraped a hard-fought 2-1 win over Wolves at Anfield, and then had to fight back against Villa to salvage a point.

Yet, Slot rejected any notion that his team is experiencing a dip in form.

“I don’t feel like that at all,” he insisted. “If you go away at Villa, it is always a difficult fixture. Performance-wise, not a dip at all today in my opinion.

“What we must not do, and a bit too often now, is not get what we deserve. If you put all the chances in a row from us and them, it’s clear which team should have won this game.

“We must not make a habit out of that as it’s happened a bit too much now, but we are eight points clear with Arsenal having a game in hand.”

Crunch Time Approaching

Liverpool’s next challenge is a trip to Manchester City on Sunday, a fixture that could prove decisive in the title race. Arsenal, meanwhile, will host West Ham the day before and will look to close the gap to five points before Liverpool take to the pitch at the Etihad.

With 12 games remaining, Liverpool’s fate is still in their own hands, but as recent results have shown, there is little room for error in the final stretch of the season.