Has the Premier League trophy slipped away from the hands of Liverpool?
The Reds suffered a 2-2 draw with Manchester United over the weekend, denying themselves a chance to keep their two-point separation with Arsenal.
Instead, the Gunners leaped over them to grab the No. 1 spot in the Premier League table.
They are tied with 71 points but Arsenal grabs first place based on goal difference, 51 vs 42.
Manchester City is also close at the third spot with 70 points.
The match with Manchester United, who are No. 6 in the table and 11 points away from a Europa League spot, started with Liverpool in control after Luis Diaz scored a goal in the 23rd minute.
The score stayed that way until the whistle to end the first half.
Defender Virgil van Dijk thought they should have gone up 2-0 before the restart. Worse, they came out flat to open the second half, and it became more challenging for them since then.
"We had them under control," he said after the match.
"It's just a shame. It definitely feels like a loss at this point. We were wasteful with our chances and we gave them a lifeline."
Bruno Fernandes equalized for the Red Devils in the 45th minute, and Kobbie Mainoo connected 17 minutes later, leaving Liverpool on the chase.
The Reds were able to equalize in the 84th somehow.
Another thing Van Dijk blamed was the error committed by his center-back partner Jarell Quansah.
Manager Jurgen Klopp thought the 21-year-old can only improve from there.
"It will not be his last mistake, unfortunately, but that's how life is," he said.
"I thought he dealt extremely well with it, and the boys dealt well with it.
"When our idols in the past made these kind of mistakes there was no social media. I hope he's smart enough to switch that part off."
The Premier League is still for anybody's taking, and the Reds are in front
It was a wasteful moment for Liverpool, even though, based on their opponents, their schedule is more manageable.
There are four teams inside the Top 10 that Arsenal still need to face, whereas Liverpool has two. Manchester City has three.
Both will be busy with European competition, too. So is third placer Manchester City.
Liverpool is still on the hunt for the Europa League. They are set to face Atalanta in the first leg of the UEL quarterfinals on Thursday, followed by another Premier League match against Crystal Palace over the weekend.
As for Arsenal, they, too, are still contending for the Champions League.
On Wednesday, they will face the German giants Bayern Munich in the first leg of their quarterfinals match-up.
Determining the 2024 Premier League winners will most likely go down until the last week of the season.
There are still seven game weeks in the Premier League, and Arsenal and Liverpool will meet on the 37th week.
The Premier League race will remain close, and that's what makes it exciting.
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