Dan’s EPL Predictions – Arsenal to win and Liverpool to only draw

Leicester 2-1 Brentford

Like London buses, Brentford waits all season for an away win, then two come quickly. Yet, under the lights, I fancy the Foxes. I saw aspects against us that they can build on. They need the points more.

Everton 1-0 Man United

The biggest compliment you can give David Moyes is that there is a feel-good factor at Goodison Park for the first time in a while. Moyes has created that a lot quicker than even he would have imagined. He hasn’t just been conservative and organised either.

Ruben Amorim’s win/loss percentage is already being compared to those before him, so losing to David Moyes isn’t going to help his cause.

Arsenal 1-0 West Ham

If we are going to put together the winning sequence needed to catch the league leaders, it will be down to our defence. At the King Power, it wasn’t exciting to watch, and we had to be patient. If we want even an outside chance of being champions, Gooners have to accept that’s how we must play until the end of the season. We haven’t got the attacking options to be the free-flowing team we want to be.

The Emirates has to play its part as well. Too many times this campaign has gone back to the bad old days of the crowd being too quick to grow restless. That can’t be happening with our lack of attacking weapons.

Eventually, trying to share goals around the side without a proven goalscorer will catch up with us, but this is a chance to send Liverpool to the Etihad with the gap between us at five points.

Cherries 2-2 Wolves

Performances under Vítor Pereira have improved, but not all results have reflected that. Another five to ten minutes at Anfield, and they would have found an equaliser.

That second-half performance might give them the confidence that attack is the best form of defence, and that’s how they should approach the trip to the Vitality.

Fulham 2-1 Palace

Probably a convenient time to wish Reiss Nelson all the best after surgery. He’s not a youngster anymore, but he still can’t get that run of first-team football.

He probably hasn’t done enough to make his move to Craven Cottage permanent. I’ll go for home advantage here.

Ipswich 2-1 Spurs

We seem to be living in an era where everyone takes offence the moment a pundit has an opinion they don’t want to hear.

James Maddison responded to Roy Keane’s recent critique with a ‘shhh’ gesture—the irony being that the celebration and his post-match interview confirmed Keane’s whole perception of the player.

Spurs are 12th in the league, have just gone out of two cups, and a talent who cost £40 million has at times been on the bench. Put it this way: that’s not how Roy Keane would have acted while playing for Manchester United if they were in that position.

When the Tractor Boys have bad days, they can collapse like a deck of cards, and the visitors have the attacking talent to do some damage.

It would be very Spursy, though, to lose to a side in 18th place in a week where they have got carried away.

Saints 1-3 Brighton

In a sport where everyone wants to find a reason for their failures, sometimes it’s as simple as not being good enough.

You can’t fault the Saints for effort, but they simply lack quality in both areas. I can’t see Brighton not scoring.

Aston Villa 2-2 Chelsea

Their European form shows Villa struggling with the schedule of playing every few days. Because they gave so much on Wednesday, that’s the only reason I think the visitors will get a result.

Chelsea fans are starting to turn on their manager—not that they were ever delighted with him. They feel he lacks a plan B, and there were even signs that Cole Palmer was getting frustrated last Friday.

After a 3-0 defeat, though, it’s not the time for Enzo Maresca to be claiming that sixth place is ahead of schedule. He needs a result, and soon.

Newcastle 3-1 Nott Forest

Everyone connected to the Toon Army is making a conscious decision not to let being in the Carabao Cup final distract them from the league like it did last time.

Given how they played last weekend, they will be worried history is repeating itself. That makes this Sunday huge in the race for the top four. Victory puts them only three points behind third-placed Forest.

Man City 2-2 Liverpool

My hope was that by the time Liverpool went to the Etihad, we couldn’t afford for them to be ahead by more than the nine points that have been the case for a while.

We now know that if we win on Saturday, they kick off on Sunday with that gap down to five.

I’ve said for a while that I don’t think the league leaders have been playing well and that they concede chances too easily. We just haven’t been consistent enough to take advantage.

Beating West Ham, and suddenly Liverpool feel the pressure? Dropped points in Manchester, and suddenly the narrative starts to change.

If only we had brought in an attacker in January—I would be feeling more confident in this title race.