Both Arsenal and Manchester City have conceded three goals in almost all games over the last few days, with many of the issues emanating from their goalkeepers.
As much as Liverpool supporters would never like to admit it, nobody has won the Premier League more times than Sir Alex Ferguson, who lifted the trophy for Manchester United on 13 occasions.
The Scot knew a thing or two about finishing at the summit, as he was once famed for a specific quote on how to achieve greatness.
“Attack wins you games, defense wins you titles,” said the Old Trafford legend, and his words have been repeated on a countless number of occasions over the years.
It is an interesting quote, especially once applied to the current landscape in the Premier League with Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal in contention at the top.
On Tuesday night, the Gunners traveled to Luton Town and snatched a dramatic win with a late goal scored by Declan Rice.
It was a huge moment for Mikel Arteta as he attempts to secure his first Premier League crown, but the manager will be concerned by his team conceding on three occasions during the bout.
Same applies to Pep Guardiola in Manchester. Over the weekend, the champions welcomed Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium and after 90 minutes, the game ended in a 3-3 draw. It was a real thriller between two attacking sides, but City don’t tend to concede so many goals.
Guardiola’s men drew 4-4 against Chelsea just a few weeks ago. Both Arsenal and City look likely to concede goals right now, but there is a specific reason for this.
Simply put, the goalkeepers representing both sides have been largely to blame of late, with David Raya and Ederson appearing shaky.
Against Luton Town, Arsenal allowed the Hatters to accumulate just six shots, with those efforts worth just 0.6 expected goals, yet the Gunners conceded three times. Raya looked vulnerable and weak, especially when required to step up and take control from defensive set-piece situations.
Rice essentially scored the winner with the last kick of the game. If he hadn’t, Arteta’s side would have lost two points solely because of the goalkeeper.
City established a similar degree of dominance over Spurs on Sunday afternoon. Ange Postecoglou’s outfit was brave going forward, but still only managed to create eight shots, with those efforts worth around 0.5 expected goals. Like Raya, though, Ederson conceded three times.
Guardiola’s side have won the title with the Brazilian as their number one before, but the two sides seem to possess the same weakness, and one that doesn’t apply to Liverpool.
Alisson Becker is the first-choice option for the Reds, and he’s widely regarded as the best in the world in his position.
For perspective, Raya has conceded 213 goals from 211.4 expected goals over the same period, and Ederson has conceded 172 times from 168.8 expected goals since his own move to England from Portugal in 2017.
The two players are currently underperforming against the average with their shot-stopping over the past five or six years.
Alisson is on a different level, which is why Liverpool will be hoping his current injury doesn’t keep him off the pitch for too long.
With the margins often proving to be so fine at the business end of the table, he could end up being the difference for Liverpool as Klopp aims to win his second league title.
