Alan Shearer believes Liverpool can be considered genuine Premier League title challengers if they beat Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday. The Reds have won five straight games in all competitions since their 3-0 defeat to Manchester City earlier this month.
Liverpool beat third-place Brighton last weekend and will look to close the gap on the top two when they host defending champions Arsenal. Dominik Szoboszlai's free-kick secured a 1-0 win in the corresponding fixture last season.
Shearer sees momentum building
Speaking to Betfair, the former Newcastle United striker said Liverpool are showing signs of getting into their stride. He noted their improvement after a poor first half-hour against Villarreal and praised their result against Brighton, which few expected.
"It just feels as if there's a little bit of momentum happening at Liverpool," Shearer said. "It seems as if the players are buying into his ideas and they're getting results."
Shearer added that Liverpool could become title challengers with a win on Sunday, and that the team in third position would need to be ready to mount a challenge if anything happens to Manchester City.
Arsenal's poor Anfield record
Arsenal are winless in their last 13 away Premier League games against Liverpool, drawing five and losing eight since a 2-0 win in 2012-13. They have never gone 14 winless away at Anfield in their league history, with their last such run of 13 ending in a 2-0 victory in 1988-89 that secured the title.
The Gunners come into the match after a shock Carabao Cup defeat to League Two side Fleetwood Town. Shearer is not confident of a positive outcome for Mikel Arteta's side, saying the criticism after Tuesday's result was warranted despite Arteta fielding a different team.
"It doesn't come much tougher than going to Anfield for Arsenal," Shearer said. "I don't think they've got the best record there either. I don't think they've won there in a while."
