Front-runners Liverpool may prove hard to catch in Premier League title race

Arne Slot has made a sensational start to his Liverpool career, winning 15 of his first 17 matches in charge and leading the Reds to the top of the Premier League and Champions League standings.

Liverpool's title odds have collapsed from 15-2 before the season started to 13-10 and they head into the international break with a five-point lead over champions Manchester City.

Slot's men enjoyed a great set of weekend results as they beat Aston Villa 2-0 at Anfield while City lost 2-1 at Brighton and Arsenal were pegged back in a 1-1 draw at Chelsea.

There were echoes of the final weekend of March, when Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool returned to the top of the table with a win over Brighton before City and Arsenal shared a cagey 0-0 draw at the Etihad Stadium.

That stalemate left Liverpool as 5-4 title favourites with just nine games remaining, ahead of the Citizens at 2-1 and Arsenal at 11-4, but Klopp's men stumbled on the run-in to finish third. 

The outright market has a remarkably similar shape after the first 11 rounds of fixtures in 2024-25 – 13-10 Liverpool, 9-4 City and 4-1 Arsenal – but can Slot's winning machine hit the Premier League jackpot this time around?

Their results since the October international break have certainly enhanced their credentials.

After a soft set of early-season fixtures, the Reds were expected to falter but they have taken ten points from league matches against Chelsea, Arsenal (coming from behind twice to draw 2-2 in north London), in-form Brighton and Villa.

They also extended their perfect start to the Champions League, winning 1-0 at RB Leipzig and thumping German champions Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 at Anfield.   

Those victories should allow Slot to rotate his squad in Europe as they face Real Madrid and Lille at home and travel to struggling Girona and PSV Eindhoven.

That should help the Reds maintain their Premier League charge during a testing schedule in December, when they host City on the first day of the month before pre-Christmas trips to Newcastle, Everton and Tottenham.

Klopp was hampered by injuries during his final season at Liverpool but Slot's squad appears to have the depth and quality to sustain their fine start.

Luis Diaz, Ryan Gravenberch, Ibrahima Konate and Curtis Jones are among the players relishing the new era at Anfield and Caoimhin Kelleher is a terrific understudy for goalkeeper Alisson, who should return from a hamstring injury after the internationals.

Right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold faces a couple of weeks on the sidelines after suffering an injury against Villa but Conor Bradley – yet to start in the league this term after his breakout 2023-24 campaign – is waiting in the wings.

Liverpool's xG data suggests they are slightly flattered by a tally of 28 points, just three fewer than Klopp's Reds had at the same stage of their 2019-20 title-winning campaign, but their main rivals look more vulnerable than in recent years.

Manchester City and Arsenal finished with 91 and 89 points last term but spread-betting firms are projecting totals of 81 for the Citizens and 77 for the Gunners this time.

City, missing injured Ballon d'Or winner Rodri for the rest of the season, have suffered four straight defeats for the first time under Pep Guardiola and Hills make them 5-6 to end the campaign without a major trophy.

Arsenal, who conceded 0.76 goals per league game in 2023-24, have been breached 12 times in 11 matches this term. Admittedly, the Gunners have had a tough start, with away games against five of last season's top seven as well as a home fixture with Liverpool, but they are already nine points off the pace.

There appears to be more strength in depth to the division this season, with clubs such as Nottingham Forest, Fulham, Brentford and Bournemouth looking more competitive.

Just four points separate third-placed Chelsea from 13th-placed Manchester United, who will be hoping for a revival under new manager Ruben Amorim.

Liverpool are bound to hit a flat spot at some point during the title race but their blistering start under Slot has given the front-runners a very handy lead over a bunched-up field.

Read more Premier League analysis: 

Liverpool 5-4 to win Premier League after Arsenal's Stamford Bridge stalemate

Click for more free bets and betting offers from the Racing Post

Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting.