We’re Still In Title Race – Former Liverpool Star Boosted By Real Madrid Win
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Former Liverpool midfielder Jason McAteer has insisted that the Reds answered the critics with their win against Real Madrid on Tuesday night, stating confidently that his former side are still very much in the title race with Arsenal.
The Premier League champions started their season in style with five wins in their opening five games and they were five points ahead of the Gunners.
However, from late September, they got stuck in a barren run, when they lost six of their seven all-competition games, including four in the Premier League.
Arne Slot’s men, though, showed their steel from the start of November, as they defeated Aston Villa, who were on a great run of form across all competitions.
And on Tuesday night, Liverpool defeated Real Madrid 1-0 at Anfield, and former Liverpool midfielder McAteer has no doubts that the win against Los Blancos is a statement win.
He noted the early-season good form, which eventually got eaten up by a forgettable October, but he is certain that Liverpool are very much competing with Mikel Arteta’s side.
McAteer stressed that a loss against the Spanish giants would have caused unrest at the club, but he stated that the Reds’ stars answered the critics with the priceless win.
“We obviously put a lot of points on the board at the beginning of the season and it kind of gave us the buffer where we have lost four Premier League games”, the ex-Liverpool star said on LFC TV (16:47) about his former side’s win.
“That has been eaten away, that little buffer.
“We are still in it with a chance to win the league, of course, we are.
“But if you lose the next two games, you are putting a real gap between you and Arsenal.
“And a lot of uncertainty comes when you look at the table, thinking, we are out of this title race.
“A lot of big questions start coming, fingers get pointed at the manager.
“[If] you lose to Real Madrid, it puts us a step back in the Premier League – this is a big period to get over, and they have answered a lot of critics.
“We are looking at the table and it looks healthy again.”
The November international break starts soon, and before that, Slot’s side have a big test in the league, as they visit the Etihad to face Manchester City on Sunday.
Arsenal currently sit seven points above the Reds and Liverpool will be aware that any further slip-ups could be punished.
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