Steven Gerrard believes Arsenal will retain the Premier League title, while Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea will eventually pull away from the rest of the division.
The defending champions returned to the top of the table on Sunday by beating Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield. Their victory came after Manchester City, previously leaders, suffered a surprise 1-0 home defeat by Brighton & Hove Albion.
Kai Havertz scored the only goal of the game at Anfield, and Arsenal’s performance convinced Gerrard that the trophy will remain at the Emirates Stadium. Mikel Arteta ended the club’s 22-year wait for the title last season.
“You’ve got to give Arsenal credit, because that’s how you win leagues: by going to places like Liverpool, staying strong and united, and producing a different type of performance,” Gerrard said on The Overlap Daily.
“That game was full of guts, fight and togetherness, and they eventually came out with the win. They’ll understand that at the end of the season, if they win the league, which I think they will – I haven’t changed my mind since the start of the season – they’ll look back at that game more often than the games where they looked brilliant and won by four or five goals, because I’m sure they’ll do that at times.”
Gerrard said Arsenal would remember overcoming a difficult atmosphere and a strong Liverpool side, rather than only their biggest victories.
“They’ll look back at that game and think: we went to Anfield, the fans were hostile, Liverpool played tough, Andoni Iraola has made this Liverpool team much better, Liverpool played well, and we still managed to get three points there,” he added.
“That could be huge for Arsenal. At the moment, Liverpool are nine points behind. If Liverpool want to challenge for the title, they still have a lot of work to do.
“But this Arsenal team looks like they can beat opponents in different ways. I think that might be what sets them apart.”
Brighton & Hove Albion are third after their victory at Manchester City, but Gerrard does not believe Fabian Hurzeler’s side can sustain a title challenge.
“I’m going to stick my neck out and say I think they will fall away from the title race, but that’s not a criticism, because I think they are a top team with a top coach,” he said.
Gerrard expects Brighton & Hove Albion to compete for a Champions League place and described them as the most dangerous opponents in the league because of their fearless approach.
“Everyone knows their role in the team, both with and without the ball. I think they’ve made huge improvements defensively. And they have so many dangerous players, players who are comfortable on the ball,” he said.
“Over 38 games, Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea – when you look at Chelsea’s form in the second half of the season – will pull away slightly.
“But I think Brighton will try, they will give their all, and I really want to see how far they can push themselves. In my opinion, they are not title contenders.”
