Arsenal have been afforded a Premier League title race boost before kicking a ball vs Fulham

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Arsenal will have the opportunity to gain more ground on Liverpool in the Premier League title race when they take on Fulham on Sunday afternoon.

The Gunners need to maintain their impressive recent momentum at Craven Cottage. Whilst Fulham pose a threat at the North London club need to be wary of, Mikel Arteta will be expecting his players to find a way to win. 

Arsenal have been backed to beat Fulham by pundits Chris Sutton and Paul Merson. This is something of a must-win game for the Gunners, who can scarcely afford any more slip ups in the title race this season. 

• READ MORE: All Mikel Arteta signings at Arsenal ranked from worst to best

Everton vs Liverpool postponement good for Arsenal

As things stand, prior to this afternoon’s kick off, both Arsenal and league leaders Liverpool have played 14 Premier League games apiece. 

However, Liverpool ought to have taken on Everton in the Merseyside derby yesterday, but that match was postponed due to adverse weather conditions. 

As such, Arsenal now have an opportunity to make a dent in the Reds’ seven point lead at the top of the Premier League table. If Arteta’s side win at Craven Cottage, Liverpool’s advantage will be reduced to four points. 

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	14	11	2	1	29	11	18	35
2	ChelseaChelsea	14	8	4	2	31	15	16	28
3	ArsenalArsenal	14	8	4	2	28	14	14	28
4	Man CityManchester City	15	8	3	4	27	21	6	27

This will pile additional pressure onto Liverpool. Although Arne Slot’s team will have a game in hand, it is always preferable to already have the points on the board.

It is vital that Arsenal beat Fulham so that they don’t miss this opportunity to dial up the pressure on their rivals.

Arsenal’s title race mentality summed up by Declan Rice

Whilst Arsenal fans will be constantly monitoring Liverpool’s form, fixtures, and the gap between the two clubs, Arteta’s players are clearly focusing on themselves.

After the Gunners beat Manchester United last time out, Declan Rice commented to the Amazon Prime Video (04/12/2024, 22:15), that: “I think it’s too early to be calling what’s going on, Liverpool will drop points, what are they still 10 above? Nine?”

The midfielder was then corrected and told that Liverpool hold just a seven point advantage, to which he responded: “So it’s closer, we’ll keep believing in ourselves and see what happens.”

Rice’s words give an insight into the mentality of the Arsenal dressing room. At this stage of the campaign, they aren’t worried about the lead that Liverpool hold. The fact that the 25-year-old couldn’t even accurately state the size of the gap proves this.

This must be viewed as a positive. However, Arteta ought to make his squad aware that they can cut the gulf down to four points with victory over Fulham, albeit with Liverpool then having a game in hand. 

Arsenal are still in the Premier League title race, and can take another positive step this afternoon.