Liverpool's back-to-back away draws in the Premier League were meant to have given Arsenal encouragement in the title race.
A victory over West Ham on Saturday would have moved the Gunners to within five points of the top of the table, and Mikel Arteta could then have watched Liverpool take on Manchester City, knowing that a City win would put Arsenal in control of its own destiny.
As it is, Liverpool could end the weekend 11 points clear at the summit after Jarrod Bowen's winner for the Hammers, and one British bookmaker paid out on the Reds winning the league after the final whistle at the Emirates Stadium.
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Soccer fans are natural pessimists when their team is doing well, so Liverpool supporters won't be counting their chickens, but it would be a major shock now if Arne Slot didn't end up hoisting the league trophy come May.
The Reds have an eight-point lead with 12 games to play, a favorable fixture list, and a healthier squad, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see Liverpool start to pull away over the next few games.
The earliest point that Liverpool could win the league
Although unlikely, there is a scenario that exists where Liverpool clinches the title by the weekend of April 5/6, by which point both teams will have played five more games to take them onto a total of 31, with seven games remaining.
That would obviously require Liverpool to win its next five games and Arsenal to lose its next five games, which is highly improbable, but as Liverpool comes to the end of a tough five-game schedule including games against Everton, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Newcastle, Arsenal is preparing for a tricky run of fixtures of its own.
Arsenal's next five games are against Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, Chelsea, Fulham and Everton, and the Gunners are set to remain without a number of key attackers for most if not all of them.
Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz will miss the remainder of the season, while Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli will return just after the March international break at the earliest – and the Gunners have looked understandably toothless in attack during the last two games without that quartet.
Were the unthinkable to happen and Liverpool to win its next five games and Arsenal to lose its next five games, the Reds would find themselves 23 points clear with just 21 remaining.
