Arsenal and Liverpool told who's had better season after Premier League title agony

THE BIG DEBATE: Arsenal and Liverpool have handed over title advantage to Manchester City after their weekend defeats, but which one has had the better season so far?

The looks on the faces of the Arsenal and Liverpool players said it all on Sunday.

After the Reds had handed the Gunners a golden opportunity to take hold of the Premier League title race following their defeat to Crystal Palace, Mikel Arteta watched his side slip to a 2-0 defeat to an impressive Aston Villa with Champions League ambitions.

Both Arsenal and Liverpool still have European business to attend to of course, but it was difficult to escape the conclusion that their weekend defeats represented fatal blows in their efforts to win the Premier League, with the title race now in Manchester City's hands once more.

So with all that in mind, who can be proudest of their season so far: the Gunners or the Reds? We asked the Mirror Football team what they think.

John Cross

Back in August, not even the most die hard Liverpool fan would have dreamed of this season. Carabao Cup in the bag, still in Europe and right in the mix for the Premier League title. Yes, Manchester City are now favourites. But this season, for Liverpool, has been way above expectation.

I actually remember speaking to a dyed-in-the-wool Liverpool supporter ahead of their opening game at Chelsea and they were hoping they might be able to sneak into the top four. But they thought it would be a big ask. More like a season in transition. So, if we’re talking about overachieving, exceeding expectations and who has had the better season then it has to be Liverpool.

Image: Getty Images) Getty Images)

I’m not saying Arsenal haven’t had a good season. I think they have had a brilliant campaign. But after going close last season, their expectations were higher. I still think next year - with a bit more added to the squad and greater experience - might be Arsenal’s turn.

Meanwhile, this is Jurgen Klopp ’s last hurrah. And, yes, they lost to Crystal Palace in a major disappointment. But what a season overall.

Jacob Leeks

This question boils down to one thing - pre-season expectations. Having been Manchester City's closest rivals last year, Arsenal's title challenge and Champions League progress comes with little surprise. That is particularly the case given they landed their top target in the summer window in Declan Rice. Liverpool meanwhile appeared to be at the start of major upheaval, with key players such as Fabinho and Roberto Firmino departing.

Instead, they have been one of the best teams in England, winning the Carabao Cup. The Reds' remarkable progress has come with a totally new midfield, and with boss Jurgen Klopp battling a major injury crisis to several of his top stars.

While they may now be running out of speed, it is easy to say it is Liverpool who have had the better campaign, even if the Carabao Cup is all they have to show for it.

Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images) Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Mike Walters

Football is a simple game where 22 players chase a ball around a field for 90 minutes every week - and after 38 games, Manchester City always win the title. Even when there are 115 charges of cooking the books gathering dust in the pending tray.

If Arsenal and Liverpool both miss out on the title again, as seems inevitable, it's a hollow argument debating who's had the better season when they both miss out on the prize they desperately craved.

For the Gunners, only a trophy - tangible silverware - would represent an improvement on last season, when they were top of the league for 249 days and had nothing to show for it. As for Liverpool... Jurgen Klopp's farewell tour is in danger of disintegrating like a stock cube.

Six weeks ago, they were chasing four trophies after the League Cup triumph against Chelsea - but if that turns out to be their sole prize, it would be like claiming the Beatles' greatest hit was Ringo Starr's narration of Thomas the Tank Engine on CBeebies.

Simon Bird

I’d be more optimistic about this season as an Arsenal fan. They have a stable managerial situation, and just need to keep tweaking things to be knocking on the door of a title win.

There is one glaring issue Arteta can sort out this summer, and that is to spend big on a world class striker. If they don’t win the Premier League this time they’ll be even closer next year with more firepower. They are also going deep in the Champions League and can unpick Bayern Munich away from home for a semi-final place.

Liverpool have a trophy in the bag, and a great crop of kids coming through which is a major plus and something Klopp and his boys can be hugely proud of. But I’d worry that it’s all become a bit erratic at crunch time. Euro progression now looks difficult and it’s advantage City in the league. Add in Klopp being set to leave, and the upheaval and uncertainty that can create, and talisman Mo Salah looking like he may be on the wane, it’s advantage Arsenal in the bid to eclipse Man City.

Image: Dave Shopland/REX/Shutterstock) Dave Shopland/REX/Shutterstock)

Tom Victor

I’ll begin this with the significant caveat that both Arsenal and Liverpool remain in Europe, where a trophy could make a big difference to perceptions. However, leaving continental competition to one side and focusing only on domestic affairs, Jurgen Klopp’s side are the ones who can consider themselves to have had a better season.

It’s easy to forget how off-the-pace the Reds were last season. While Arsenal were in a title race from August to May, Liverpool didn’t finish a single weekend in the top four.

Add in the massive summer overhaul and it’s a miracle Klopp’s team have even been in touch. Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner all left over the summer, and while they had varying impacts last season, losing five senior midfielders should hurt any club.

On top of that, injuries have restricted Curtis Jones to 13 league starts, while Thiago and Stefan Bajcetic haven’t managed a single one between them, essentially leaving Klopp with an entirely new midfield for the overwhelming majority of the season. Few would have begrudged the club another transitional season amid that upheaval, and when the dust has settled most people ought to appreciate the scale of what they’ve done.

Image: PA) PA)

Jenny Brown

It would be easy to say Liverpool have had a better season than Arsenal as they managed to get their hands on a trophy. But as much as their fans may want to dress it up, this isn't the send-off that Jurgen Klopp would have hoped for and will ultimately feel disappointed in how the season has panned out. Unless there's a final twist yet.

Arsenal are much different than the team that bottled the league last season. They've proven that they can mount a real title challenge while simultaneously competing in Europe. Until this weekend they had the most prolific attack in the Premier League, despite the criticism for not signing a striker and still maintain the best defence.

The Gunners are well placed to reach their first Champions League semi-final in 15 years after securing a draw in the first leg against Harry Kane and Bayern Munich. While Liverpool on the brink of being dumped out of the Europa League by a side sat 6th in Serie A.

Arsenal fans will be gutted that the Premier League title looks like it's staying in Manchester for another year, they have a lot to be excited about with the progress they continue to make under Mikel Arteta.

Image: AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images)

Mark Jones

At the start of the season I thought a repeat of 2022-23 would represent a decent return for Arsenal, but ultimately this is a side that spent £200m on three players last summer, including their most expensive purchase ever and the No.3 on that list. They simply had to get better from there.

They'll probably end up with the most regrets in the title race as they were the side with the momentum and kind injury record to go on and win it ahead of City, but it has still been a good season for them and a strong building block in the Mikel Arteta project which is probably not yet halfway through. Beat Bayern Munich on Wednesday and it'll get even better.

As for Liverpool, I was slightly more optimistic than most that they'd have a good season following the raft of summer changes, simply because the manager is who he is. Jurgen Klopp gets called a lot of things by a lot of people but his innate ability to instil togetherness in a squad is unrivalled.

Given all that it still feels strange that he'll be leaving in the summer, opting to get this train back on the rails despite knowing he wouldn't be around to drive it. That whole 'dream farewell' thing has largely been a convenient construct - we all know how these things go - and the struggles of the past few weeks look to have come as a result of the stresses and strains of a gruelling, injury-hit, but impressive campaign.

Who's had the better season then? Well Liverpool are the only one with a trophy, but in both cases it is more important that the message remains into the next campaign and beyond, both in Arteta's team building and in the culture Klopp is leaving behind.

Andy Dunn

The bottom line is that if your season ends with Jurgen Klopp walking out of your club, it has probably not been the greatest season. It can be saved by winning the Premier League but there is now only an outside chance of that happening.

And if Liverpool do not finish top and if they are eliminated from the Europa League by a tidy but limited Atalanta side on Thursday, then their season - despite the Carabao Cup triumph - will have been an average one.

They are unlikely to see it this way but Arsenal fans can already be fairly pleased with a campaign that will get better if they win in Munich on Wednesday. It takes time to re-establish a side as an elite force but that is what Mikel Arteta is doing. Competing for a Premier League title and going relatively deep into the Champions League is part of that process.

Image: Dave Shopland/REX/Shutterstock) Dave Shopland/REX/Shutterstock)

David McDonnell

For both Arsenal and Liverpool, coming up short in the Premier League title race will go down as a huge failure. With Treble winners Manchester City far from their imperious best this season, the chance was there for either side to be crowned champions, but both appear to have blown it.

After faltering with the finish line in sight last season, Arsenal needed to prove they have the mental strength to last the distance, but their old frailties returned in Sunday's 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa. For Liverpool, having topped the table for so long, the title was seen as the perfect send-off for Jurgen Klopp, but they too have imploded with the trophy coming into view.

Arsenal are still in the Champions League, but face a tough task at Bayern Munich this week, while Liverpool's Europa League hopes are slim, after a 3-0 first leg home defeat to Atalanta.

With Klopp departing this summer, Liverpool are entering a new era, while Arsenal are continuing to progress under Mikel Arteta and are facing a less uncertain future. As it stands, Liverpool have had the better season so far, by virtue of the fact they have already won a trophy in the League Cup. But neither will view the season as a success if, as seems likely now, City make history by winning a fourth straight title.

Image: Getty Images) Getty Images)

Felix Keith

It won't feel like it at present, but both Arsenal and Liverpool have enjoyed strong seasons.

Despite the Villa defeat, Mikel Arteta is making steady progress with the Gunners, who are getting closer and closer to competing with City for an entire 38-game league campaign. As Arteta said post-match, it is now when it counts. Getting past Bayern and into a Champions League semi-final would be a fitting reward.

Liverpool have been decimated by injuries this season and have played in the knowledge they are about to lose their manager. With the Carabao Cup in the bag, Klopp's final season already has a silver glint to it. And whatever happens from now on it'll be an improvement on last season when they finished fifth. Trophies are an obvious and simple measure of success - and Liverpool are currently 1-0 up on Arsenal this season in my mind. The Gunners need one to level things up.

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