Premier League is wide open and even Man United, Liverpool can win something

Liverpool's 1-0 victory implicit Manchester City connected Sunday did much than extremity the reigning Premier League champions' unbeaten grounds this season; Mohamed Salah's decisive extremity astatine Anfield besides acceptable up the imaginable of the astir unpredictable and unfastened rubric contention for years.

Only the astir optimistic Arsenal protagonist would reason against the proposition that City, champions successful 4 of the past 5 seasons, stay favourites to triumph the Premier League again this time, contempt Mikel Arteta's Gunners opening up a four-point pb astatine the apical of the array pursuing Sunday's 1-0 win astatine Leeds and City's nonaccomplishment astatine Liverpool.

But portion the goals of Erling Haaland and the title-winning acquisition of Pep Guardiola's squad springiness City the edge, determination is simply a chiseled consciousness that each of the alleged Big Six, and an emerging Newcastle United, are susceptible of achieving their respective ambitions this season.

Arsenal could yet astonishment america each by emerging arsenic champions. Leicester City successful 2015-16 and Blackburn successful 1994-95 some held their nervus to capitalise connected beardown starts and extremity the run by raising the Premier League trophy and Arsenal person present fixed themselves a cushion and momentum to spell each the mode and triumph a archetypal rubric since Arsene Wenger's "Invincibles" successful 2003-04.

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Meanwhile, third-placed Tottenham Hotspur's 2-0 triumph against Everton connected Saturday confirmed their champion commencement to a play successful the Premier League epoch -- it is their champion commencement for 59 years -- yet Antonio Conte's broadside person truthful acold managed to debar the spotlight and scrutiny that comes with challenging for a title. With Harry Kane's goals (nine successful 10 games) and Conte's way grounds of having won titles successful England and Italy (with Chelsea and Juventus), Spurs are contenders and their travel to Manchester United connected Wednesday volition connection a existent gauge of some clubs' prospects this season.

United, who are successful 5th presumption aft Sunday's goalless gully against Newcastle astatine Old Trafford, are intelligibly inactive immoderate region from being rubric challengers, but possibly for the archetypal clip since Sir Alex Ferguson retired successful 2013, they look to person a manager with a coherent program to instrumentality the nine retired of its decade-long malaise. Erik 10 Hag has plentifulness of rebuilding to do, but his summertime signings, peculiarly Lisandro Martinez and Christian Eriksen, person importantly improved the squad and United look to beryllium a nine that, finally, person everyone pulling successful the aforesaid direction.

They won't triumph the league this season, but victories against Liverpool and Arsenal truthful acold amusement that United tin emergence to the juncture and, therefore, foster anticipation that they could triumph a cupful and extremity a six-year silverware drought.

Just implicit a period ago, suggesting that Chelsea could bask a palmy play would person seemed outlandish pursuing the firing of manager Thomas Tuchel aft 3 defeats successful 7 games. But since appointing Graham Potter arsenic Tuchel's successor, Chelsea person won 5 retired of six nether the erstwhile Brighton manager.

If they triumph their crippled successful hand, Chelsea would determination to wrong a constituent of Spurs and City and, having spent implicit £250 cardinal connected caller players this summer, statesman to look similar a squad that has conscionable enjoyed a play of large reinforcement.

And though Liverpool are the 1 squad successful the Big Six that are unquestionably under-performing this season, winning conscionable 3 of 9 Premier League games to beryllium eighth, past week's 7-1 Champions League demolition of Rangers and Sunday's triumph against City proved that Jurgen Klopp's squad are inactive a broadside susceptible of beating anyone and winning immoderate competition.

Klopp has a midfield to rebuild, determination are antiaircraft issues to code and £75m club-record signing Darwin Nunez has endured a hard commencement to beingness successful England, scoring conscionable 4 goals successful 11 games, but contempt each of Liverpool's problems, they are inactive 1 of the champion teams successful the satellite and susceptible of thing this season.

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Shaka Hislop sings the praises of Liverpool aft their 1-0 triumph implicit Manchester City.

Newcastle, nether Eddie Howe, are the large menace to the established Big Six owed to the immense wealthiness of their Saudi Arabia-backed owners. In time, Newcastle could spell connected to predominate arsenic City person done successful caller years if they are arsenic astute and ambitious successful presumption of subordinate recruitment. We are inactive immoderate mode from Newcastle being rubric challengers, they are over-performing truthful acold this play (sitting successful sixth position) and volition beryllium capable to accelerate their plans by attracting amended players if they unafraid European qualification.

There has seldom been specified a Premier League play erstwhile each of the large clubs are successful a presumption to triumph something. Throughout the 30-year past of the competition, determination has often been 1 oregon 2 ascendant teams, a mates successful a play of transition, with the others lurching from 1 situation to another.

Liverpool, United and Arsenal person each enjoyed large success, but besides seasons of despair, portion City and Chelsea were thing much than also-rans -- City spent a play successful the 3rd tier successful 1998-99 -- anterior to each nine being acquired by billionaires who transformed their fortunes and the make-up of the Premier League. Tottenham are inactive waiting for years of committedness to travel to fruition, portion Newcastle's hopes of recreating their breathtaking times nether Kevin Keegan successful the mid-1990s looked to beryllium a distant imagination until the Saudi takeover 12 months ago.

But for the archetypal time, the stars are aligning for each of the apical clubs to beryllium competitory during the aforesaid period. City's dominance mightiness proceed this season, but the 2022-23 play feels similar a run that volition awesome a caller epoch and could specify what happens, and who wins, for the adjacent 10 years.