Liverpool's stuttering end to the season finished hopes of Jürgen Klopp's tenure ending with the Premier League trophy. Instead, the Reds have been forced to watch on as Arsenal and Manchester City battle it out for top honors.

City is now in pole position to win a fourth successive title following its 2-0 win over Tottenham on Tuesday night. A brace from Erling Haaland took Pep Guardiola's side two points clear going into the final day of the season.

Victory over West Ham at the Etihad will secure top spot, with the trip to Spurs seen as the key match in the run-in. And the night could have ended very differently for the reigning champions.

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With City leading 1-0, Tottenham captain Son Heung-min capitalized on a Manuel Akanji error and raced clean through on goal. Stefan Ortega — who had earlier replaced Ederson — denied him with an outstretched leg, and the moment brought flashbacks for ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher on commentary.

Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: "You want your keeper to save you in situations like that. I go back to my club a few years ago, Demba Ba converging on the Kop. I wanted our goalkeeper to save us that day. He didn't, but Ortega certainly did tonight.

"Ortega, tonight alone, has won City the Premier League title. Obviously a lot's gone into that over the season but when you look at this game, if he doesn't make those saves at 1-0, Arsenal will win the league. That's how close it is."

Carragher is of course referring to Liverpool's 2-0 defeat to Chelsea back in 2014. The Reds had won 11 matches in a row before the Anfield clash as they looked to win a first Premier League title.

But a slip from Steven Gerrard let Ba through during the first half and the striker slotted his finish past Simon Mignolet. Liverpool ended up finishing two points behind City at the top.

It is not the first time Carragher has reflected on the incident and admitted he blamed Mignolet for the goal earlier this year. He told the Stick to Football podcast: "Ba was running so straight on goal that I think it was difficult to score and there was nowhere else he could go."

Liverpool.com says: Ortega's save was a pivotal moment in the season and means Manchester City is clear favorite to go on and win another title. The incident did bring back memories of Ba going through against Liverpool as Chelsea delivered a hammer blow at Anfield. That defeat still hurts for many supporters.