Liverpool FC and coach Jürgen Klopp are starting the new year as leaders of the English Premier League. Arsenal FC missed the jump to the top.
The team led by German national soccer player Kai Havertz gave up an early lead at FC Fulham and deservedly lost the London city duel 1:2 (1:1).
In the table, the Gunners are in fourth place with 40 points at the turn of the year and have one point more than fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, who won 3-1 (1-0) against AFC Bournemouth. This means that Liverpool are leading the table, level on points with Aston Villa, ahead of their own game against Newcastle United on Monday evening. Manchester City is third with two points less.
Fulham ends crisis
Bukayo Saka fired Arsenal into the lead after just five minutes at Craven Cottage Stadium. The visitors initially dominated the game, but with Raul Jimenez’s somewhat surprising equalizer for Fulham (29th minute), Arsenal increasingly lost control. In the second half, Bobby De Cordova-Reid (59′) turned the game around for Fulham, putting another damper on the Gunners’ title hopes. The Londoners had lost at West Ham United three days earlier (0-2) and only got one point from their last three games in 2023.
Fulham, on the other hand, ended its crisis for the time being. The team led by former Arsenal keeper Bernd Leno had previously lost three league games in a row without scoring a goal. Tottenham also celebrated a successful end to the year. In their own stadium, Spurs beat Bournemouth thanks to goals from Pape Sarr (9th), Heung-Min Son (71st) and Richarlison (80th). Alex Scott scored the goal for the guests (84th).
