The Premier League title race is heating up as we head into a pivotal duel as Liverpool host Manchester City for the last dance of Jurgen Klopp versus Pep Guardiola.
Liverpool sit top of the table, only one point ahead of Man City, who are attempting to become the first team to win a fourth successive Premier League title.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Man City
MCI
|
38 | +62 | 91 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
38 | +62 | 89 |
| 3 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
38 | +45 | 82 |
But what tends to happen when first play second in the competition?
You may think the team in first place naturally have the upper hand, but you'd be wrong to assume as such... Here's why.
Since the first season of the Premier League, there have been 53 meetings between the table's top two teams, with those in first and second having identical records.
First and second have each won 20 matches, drawing the other 13.
The last such match happened in November, when Man City were one point ahead of Liverpool at the top, and the sides drew 1-1 at the Etihad Stadium.
| Record | Team in first | Team in second |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 20 | 20 |
| Draws | 13 | |
Recent history favours City?
If you look at the data from recent history alone, a clear trend has emerged. But again not one you might expect.
Of the last 11 meetings between the top two, dating back to 2018, the leaders have won only THREE of them. This compares with the FIVE victories for the second-placed side.
Liverpool have been the top side on three of those 11 occasions, winning two of them and losing one. That defeat came to Man City, but the Reds had already won the title by then, in July 2020.
Man City have been the second-placed team for three of these top-of-the-table duels and have won them all. In addition to their victory over Liverpool, they beat Arsenal twice last season as they overtook the Gunners to win the title.
Overall, this will be the fifth time in Premier League history that Man City and Liverpool have played as the top two. Liverpool are yet to win such a match, picking up three points compared with City's six.
Last 11 results when first have faced second
| Date | Result |
|---|---|
| 7 April 2018 | Man City 2-3 Man Utd |
| 7 October 2018 | Liverpool 0-0 Man City |
| 24 August 2019 | Liverpool 3-1 Arsenal |
| 26 December 2019 | Leicester 0-4 Liverpool |
| 2 July 2020 | Man City 4-0 Liverpool |
| 16 December 2020 | Liverpool 2-1 Spurs |
| 15 January 2022 | Man City 1-0 Chelsea |
| 10 April 2022 | Man City 2-2 Liverpool |
| 15 February 2023 | Arsenal 1-3 Man City |
| 26 April 2023 | Man City 4-1 Arsenal |
| 25 November 2023 | Man City 1-1 Liverpool |
*Team in bold were the side in first spot before the match