Paul Salt
BBC Radio Merseyside

Normally a title challenge is built around a goalscorer, a Mohamed Salah, but a lot of this title challenge is down to Virgil van Dijk. He has been absolutely brilliant He has been the lynchpin this season.

The fact Jurgen Klopp is leaving the club at the end of the season is another contributing factor. They have been galvanised by it. It is not as if Liverpool were playing badly before the announcement, but you look at the results they are performing well. The Arsenal game at the Emirates will be the blip.

BBC Sport has a dedicated Liverpool page packed with news, analysis and fan views - get it here

Image source, BBC Sport/Nielsen's Gracenote

Pep Guardiola's City side are in typically formidable post-Christmas form as they aim for an English top-flight record of four consecutive titles.

They have 10 wins from 13 league games since December's 1-0 defeat by Aston Villa.

Man City's trip to Spurs has the lowest percentage win prediction from Nielsen's Gracenote.

Although a date for that fixture - originally scheduled for 20 April - is still pending because of City's involvement in the FA Cup semi-finals.

Read the full version of BBC Sport's data dive on the Premier League title race here...

Image source, BBC Sport/Nielsen's Gracenote's

As for Liverpool, the 3-1 loss at Arsenal on 4 February remains their only league defeat in nine games so far in 2024.

Away trips to Manchester United and Aston Villa have been identified as potential slip-ups for Liverpool by Nielsen's Gracenote's predictions

Jurgen Klopp's team still have a trip to Goodison Park for the Merseyside derby to fit into a busy schedule.

Read the full version of BBC Sport's data dive on the Premier League title race here...

Regular visitors to our daily football news pages might remember that a number of people picked up on the way Arsenal's players, staff and supporters celebrated their Champions League victory over Porto on penalties in the last 16.

The sound you can hear is Ryan opening up that can of worms again...

Image source, BBC Sport/Nielsen's Gracenote

Arsenal might be top of the Premier League, on goal difference, at the moment, but Nielsen's Gracenote does not think they will be champions.

Simon Gleave, head of analysis at Nielsen's Gracenote says their Euro Club Index , externalsimulations have the title battle as a "two-horse race", rating City and Liverpool higher as well as the Gunners having "trickier" fixtures.

He says: "Arsenal have six matches left against teams in the Premier League's top half but five of those are away from home. Manchester City and Liverpool also both have six matches remaining against teams in the top half of the Premier League, but four of City's are at home and half of Liverpool's are."

Read the full version of BBC Sport's data dive on the Premier League title race here...

Image source, BBC Sport

Sunday is shaping up to be a huge day in the Premier League title race, with Liverpool playing Brighton and Manchester City hosting title rivals Arsenal.

The Reds would go top if they pick up a point or more against the Seagulls - before current leaders Arsenal go to third-placed City.

For the first time since 2014, just one point separates the top three after 28 games played - and it now looks likely that it will go down to the wire.

It will be their first league matches in three weeks - because of the FA Cup quarter-finals and an international break - so let us refresh your memory of how it's shaping up.

BBC Sport, with data experts Nielsen's Gracenote, help to break down the title race match-by-match to see who is projected for glory or heartbreak.

Anon makes some good points there, but remember to please include your name on any messages. Thanks...

Image source, BBC Sport/Gracenote

Will history repeat itself or can Arsenal maintain their title challenge?

The Gunners faltered around this stage of the last campaign, with a dip in form starting with dropped points in a key away game - a 2-2 draw at Liverpool.

Simon Gleave, head of analysis at data experts Nielsen's Gracenote, says: "Manchester City came into their own at the end of last season when the title race was transformed from a 50/50 battle at the beginning of April into a near-certain league title for Pep Guardiola's team less than a month later."

Read the full version of BBC Sport's data dive on the Premier League title race here...

Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport

England women’s international Louise Newstead is set to be appointed as the new head of coaching at the Professional Footballers Association.

BBC Sport understands that she will become the first woman ever appointed to the role that was previously occupied by Jim Hicks, whom she played under at Millwall.

The long-serving Hicks left the players union earlier this year.

Newstead, who is well respected in the game, played over 500 times for Millwall Lionesses, helping them win the Women's FA Cup in 1991 and 1997.

She was also part of the England squad to reach the quarter-finals of the 1995 World Cup held in Sweden.

Image source, Getty Images

There have only been a handful of three-way Premier League title races where the teams have been separated by just two points towards the end of a 38-game season.

2013-14: By as late as 6 May, 2014, only two points separated Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea, but City won their game in hand to leapfrog a stumbling Liverpool - characterised by Steven Gerrard's infamous slip and Crystal Palace's comeback - to snatch the title.

2001-02: On 23 April, 2002, Arsenal led Liverpool by a point with Manchester United a further point back. But Arsenal had a game in hand and were part-way through a run of 11 consecutive wins and sealed the title by beating United at Old Trafford.

1995-96: In mid-March, with eight games left Manchester United were level on 61 points with Newcastle and Liverpool were on 59 points in third. Despite having played two games more, Sir Alex Ferguson's side saw off the challenge of Kevin Keegan's Magpies.

So we have been focusing on Manchester City and Arsenal, before their match at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

But, as Tom points out, there is another team with a big say in this season's title race.

Liverpool are behind Premier League leaders Arsenal only on goal difference and are one point better off than third-placed Manchester City...

So as Manchester City and Arsenal prepare to meet in a Premier League title battle on Sunday - we want to know which side you think has the better players?

Click on this link and have a go at picking your combined XI - which you can share with your friends on social media.

There won't be too many easy decisions I suspect, for the neutrals at least.

Take the centre of midfield as an example - would you pick Declan Rice or Rodri? Or will you find room for them both?

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, .

So what impact has Declan Rice's introduction had on Arsenal's overall performance?

Well the stats show that they are creating more chances and scoring more goals while conceding fewer chances and goals per game than last season.

How much can those improvements be put down to the arrival of Rice? It is hard to say...

What do you think?

Click thumbs up if you believe the England midfielder is behind Arsenal's improvements this season, or thumbs down if you believe it has been more of a general improvement in the team as a whole.

BBC Sport has a dedicated Arsenal page packed with news, analysis and fan views - get it here

Image source, .

Arsenal may have targeted Declan Rice for his defensive capabilities, but statistics show that his impact on the team's midfield has stretched further than that.

In fact, many of Rice's defensive statistics - like possession won and interceptions - were higher last season with West Ham.

Yet his six Premier League goals and five assists are already higher than he managed in any campaign for the Hammers.

Here are some of the key statistics behind the England midfielder's impact at Arsenal:

• Rice has the third best passing accuracy for midfielders in the league for teams currently in the top six of the table (including players with 1,000 or more minutes).
• His 91% passing rate is only behind Tottenham's Yves Bissouma and Manchester City's Rodri (92% each).
• Current boss Mikel Arteta is the only Gunners midfielder to have a higher passing accuracy in a Premier League season (of players to play in at least 50% of the minutes).
• Of central midfielders in the league to have played 1,000 or more minutes, only Rodri (14.2) has carried the ball more than five metres upfield more times than Rice (10.4) per 90 minutes.
• Rice is having more touches in central attacking positions compared to last term - potentially aided by playing in a better team and in a more attacking role. West Ham finished 14th last season with a goal difference of -13. Arsenal have an average possession of 62% this season, while West Ham never managed 50% in a season with Rice.

Click here to find out more.

Right, let's have a closer look at that big game at the Etihad on Sunday.

We were talking earlier about Declan Rice and his impact at Arsenal since his summer move...