Michael Owen has insisted Liverpool remain Arsenal's biggest Premier League title challengers despite their 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday. The loss at Anfield was Liverpool's third consecutive league defeat, leaving Arne Slot's side four points behind leaders Arsenal.
Speaking to Premier League Productions, Owen dismissed any notion of a crisis at Liverpool, pointing to their performances. 'I don't look at Liverpool and think, 'wow, this is a team that are really lacking',' he said. 'I actually think quite the opposite, they played quite well. Manchester United did really well themselves, full credit to them.'
Owen added that Arsenal will still view Liverpool as their main rivals. 'When Arsenal are watching the Premier League results next week, they'll be thinking, 'hope Liverpool lose, they're still our big challengers',' he said.
Former Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick also backed Liverpool to recover. 'All good teams going to great teams suffer at certain points,' Carrick said. 'It's how you get through that period to turn into a really great team. I think they're playing well enough.'
Carrick noted the timing of the blip is favourable. 'The finishing line is a long, long way away. If this was February or March, there's a fragility there. But there's more than enough time to put a run together before the end of the season.'
Owen concluded that Liverpool's confidence remains intact. 'As long as you're still thinking, 'we're playing well, it's just a little blip', you'll be okay. Once your confidence starts going, you can slide away. But I think it's just a blip.'
