Mikel Arteta believes there is still a long way to go in the title race as he claimed that Liverpool normally experiences a slip-up when chasing the title.

The Reds are the strong favorites to win the Premier League for the second time in six years, leading both second-placed Arsenal and third-placed Nottingham Forest by six points, and also having a game in hand on both teams.

Liverpool has only dropped 13 points all season, and for Arsenal to have a chance of winning the title, the Gunners must hope that Arne Slot's men drop at least nine more points and also be virtually perfect themselves during the run-in.

It's a tall order but Arteta, understandably, is refusing to give up hope of taking the Premier League title to North London for the first time since 2004.

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Had things panned out differently last weekend, Arsenal might have gone into this weekend's round of fixtures within touching distance of the leader.

At one stage, it looked as though Liverpool's lead might be cut to just two points, with Brentford standing firm heading into injury time in West London while Arsenal was preparing to host Aston Villa in Saturday's late game.

However, Darwin Nunez's late brace ensured the Reds picked up their first league win of 2025 at the Gtech Community Stadium, while Arsenal went on to surrender a two-goal lead against Villa to draw 2-2.

”The margins are really, really small," Arteta said. "You can see how things could’ve gone last weekend - the turning points are minimal and the gap certainly looks very different. We have to be at it, we have to do what is in our hands and there’s still a long, long way to go.”

Arteta was asked if Liverpool will have a "difficult spell" and replied: “They normally do, so we have to be there. That’s for sure.”