Nothing is ever won in January but a title can be lost as it was, most famously, by Newcastle United in 1996.
Liverpool’s current 4-point lead (with a game in hand) over Arsenal looks flimsy in comparison – especially for those with long memories.
Monday (January 20) will be the 29th anniversary of the Magpies taking a 12-point lead over Manchester United.
Unassailable? Think again.
With Peter Beardsley, David Ginola and Les Ferdinand starring, Newcastle looked unstoppable under gung-ho boss Kevin Keegan.
But the Red Devils were relentless in their pursuit, manager Alex Ferguson playing a blinder with his mind games.
He wound Keegan up so much the former Liverpool and Newcastle superstar went into meltdown with a heartfelt rant on live radio.
Sure enough, the Magpies imploded, Fergie’s boys took advantage and won the title by 4 points.
When the two met, it was rope-a-dope. Newcastle battered the Devils but Peter Schmeichel wouldn’t be beaten and Eric Cantona provided the KO.
Times change, the actors are of a different generation and there seems as little chance of Liverpool imploding as there is of Arne Slot having a rant.
But if the Reds fail to land the title, this week will be seen as pivotal.
Had Liverpool beaten Forest and Spurs prevailed over Arsenal the gap would have been 9 points (plus a game in hand).
And that is approaching Keegan territory.
But while Liverpool were pegged to a 1-1 draw at surprise high-fliers Nottingham Forest, Arsenal came from behind to edge north London rivals, Spurs.
Neither were conclusive performances, apart from underlining that there’s still a long way to go even in a virtual two-horse race.
Chelsea continue on an unexpected wobble and City are still prone to late lapses.
Just past the halfway mark of the season, it would require a City-style implosion from the top two for either of the Blues to take the title.
This quartet were almost everyone’s choice for the top four places a few months ago.
That said, it is turning out to be a fascinating scrap for both the No.1 spot and Champions League qualification.
If the City narrative had been fiction, it would have been rejected as too fanciful.
And then there’s Forest.
Pundits were close to unanimous in them being relegated yet their surge up the table is no fluke as Liverpool have discovered.
But you can’t see Nuno’s boys as title contenders although they could get into Europe where they were famously back-to-back champions.
Also challenging are Newcastle, the poor, little rich club, who can’t spend their Saudi owners’ billions.
Financial Fair Play restrictions only add to the frustration of fans who are desperate not to complete an unwanted century.
The Magpies are just two seasons away from the 100th anniversary of their last league title triumph (1927).
Big club? Well, they have won the FA Cup six times but not since 1955 – so this season will be a 70th anniversary.
And to think they were once known as a Cup team.
Despite the financial shackles, Eddie Howe has put together a fine side that is now on a roll.
Alexander Isak is not just the most lethal Scandinavian striker in the EPL, but the best of the lot. Move over, Erling Haaland.
Dare it be said, he’s just the sort that Arsenal could use.
But even thinking of selling him to rivals would be enough to cause a riot on Tyneside.
Still, striker-less Arsenal remain the only realistic threat to Liverpool’s bid to equal Manchester United’s tally of 20 League titles.
The Gunners’ win over Spurs was more convincing than the score suggests.
“We were sensational,” claimed manager Mikel Arteta, who added that his team had passed “a test of attitude, what we are made of, the courage we have”.
They had lost their previous two home games in Cup competitions and a third – especially to their struggling neighbours – would have been unthinkable.
It seems they are beginning to cope with the catastrophic loss of Bukayo Saka, whose attendance on crutches was a reminder he won’t be back any time soon.
When you look at how City collapsed after Rodri got injured, we realise that even the richest clubs are vulnerable if a key man is lost.
Liverpool have had their share of casualties this season, but have managed to protect crown jewels, Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk.
If either were to be out for a lengthy period, it could tilt the balance.
They have coped without Alisson, who many rate as the world’s No.1 keeper, with perhaps the best deputy stopper in the game.
But they don’t have a “Caoimhin Kelleher” at centre-back or on the wing which is why Kopites dread the thought of any mishap befalling their two superstars.
Meanwhile, Arsenal fans are screaming for a striker after Gabriel Jesus’s ACL injury. The Gunners are indeed in the market but, typically, are about to sign another defensive midfielder.
Martin Zubimendi, who turned down Liverpool, is poised to arrive which is a coup of sorts but is he really necessary?
If the plan is to show no panic, they’re succeeding.
Losing Jesus was a cruel blow just as he’d rediscovered his shooting boots, but there’s still no concrete news on the striker front.
Victor Osimhen, Dusan Vlahovic, Bryan Mbeumo, Viktor Gyokeres and even Marcus Rashford have been mentioned.
For the fans, it’s almost a case of any one of them would do, but it’s not how Mikel Arteta sees it.
The Gunners are firing again but to overtake the Reds, they need to be blazing.
Unless the unthinkable happens to Liverpool, for Arsenal it boils down to “no striker, no title”.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.