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Jamie Carragher has declared Arsenal the "best team" in the Premier League following Liverpool's further slip behind this season's frontrunner.
Sunday witnessed Carragher's beloved Reds endure a 3-0 thrashing away to Manchester City, who narrowed the deficit to Arsenal to four points. Regarding Liverpool, the Merseyside team is now eight points adrift and wallowing in eighth position.
Arne Slot's players have dropped five of their opening 11 Premier League fixtures, leaving them with a mammoth task ahead if they wish to defend the title. City is optimally positioned to challenge Arsenal, who Carragher respects but acknowledges could encounter difficulties as the campaign progresses.
On Saturday, the Gunners surrendered a stoppage-time leveller to draw 1-1 away to newly-promoted Sunderland.
"I still think Arsenal are the best team I've seen in this league this season, no doubt," the Liverpool legend explained on Sky Sports. "But there's an awful long to go and there's no doubt because Arsenal haven't won the league for so long, those supporters, players, manager - everyone will become twitchy in the second half of the season if it becomes tight."
Carragher added: "I think Arsenal will be nervous [in the title race] because it's Man City and they've done this to them twice before. Twice in last three years, Manchester City have come from behind and caught Arsenal.
"And also the manner of the victory today, that first-half performance from Man City... Liverpool are the champions - they absolutely took them to the cleaners.
"I think on the back of Arsenal dropping points against a promoted team - who are doing absolutely fantastically well in the Premier League, Sunderland - they'd have been hoping for a draw [between City and Liverpool].
"They've seen City not just win but the performance and [they're] probably getting a few flashbacks to what's happened the last couple of times when they felt they had a great chance at a title.
"It might be a long two weeks, thinking and worrying, for Arsenal supporters and players."
Liverpool did overcome Arsenal earlier this campaign, though as matters currently stand, that Anfield triumph means nothing whatsoever. The Reds face a promising sequence of fixtures following the international break, beginning with Forest visiting Merseyside.
Skipper Virgil van Dijk maintains: "We are not going to give up whatsoever. We are in November, and we are ready for a long season and a big fight."
Slot, meanwhile, conceded following the defeat to City: "The last thing I should speak about is the title race. We have to focus on getting results."
Arsenal's upcoming fixture sees the Gunners host Tottenham in the North London derby. City, meanwhile, heads to a struggling Newcastle side, eager to maintain the team's impressive form as the Christmas period draws near.
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