Arsenal threat emerges as Mikel Arteta has one more worry to deal with before Tottenham clash

Arsenal suffered their first blow in the Premier League title race after dropping two points against Brighton on Saturday.

A 1-1 draw against an impressive team while playing with 10 men shouldn't be too much of a concern, but there will be some disappointment after taking the lead. Declan Rice's red card compounded Mikel Arteta's frustration with the Gunners being without their key midfielder for the north London derby against Tottenham.

There will also be some worry over the fast start to the season made by not just Manchester City but another potential title rival as well. Not many pundits were picking Liverpool to challenge Arsenal and City before a ball was kicked.

It was assumed that there would be some sort of post-Jurgen Klopp hangover on Merseyside with the Reds losing their popular German manager. Liverpool outplayed Manchester United on Sunday and would have been given a reminder at Old Trafford of just how hard it is to replace a legendary figure in the dugout.

United have never fully recovered since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013 but the signs for Liverpool look good so far. Arne Slot's record in charge of the Reds so far reads played three, scored seven and conceded zero.

It's a warning to Arsenal and City that a presumed two-horse race could have a gatecrasher. There are caveats, of course.

READ MORE: Arsenal dealt injury scare during Brighton clash as Mikel Arteta handed major worry

READ MORE: Why Arsenal star Declan Rice was sent off against Brighton and is banned for Tottenham

While Arteta's team were tested in a tight draw against Brighton and City had to work hard for three points against Chelsea, Liverpool have had a relatively easy start with newly promoted Ipswich, an Ivan Toney-less Brentford team, and a Man United side with a whole host of problems.

That's not to say Liverpool's start to the new campaign hasn't been impressive. It's certainly surpassed most people's expectations, with their performances more than anything providing plenty of optimism at Anfield.

But we haven't seen a Liverpool team compete across a whole campaign since they fell narrowly short to City on the final day in 2022. That year, the Reds were chasing an unprecedented quadruple but only ended up with the League Cup and FA Cup.

That will offer some encouragement to the Gunners that they won't have to compete with another major rival come May. However, there will be some concern that while the focus has been on Pep Guardiola's team, Arteta may also have another rival to worry about.