A look at the Premier League contenders’ run-ins during thrilling title race

The race for the Premier League title took another twist on Wednesday as Liverpool fell to a 2-0 Merseyside derby defeat to Everton at Goodison Park.

The Toffees look to have dealt their bitter rivals a major blow in their title hopes thanks to goals from Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Defeat means Liverpool are now three points behind leaders Arsenal, who hammered Chelsea 5-0 on Tuesday, and one point ahead of Manchester City, who have two games in hand.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the top-flight run-in as the season enters its final stretch.

Arsenal (first, played 34, points 77, goal difference 56)

Run-in: Tottenham (a), Bournemouth (h), Manchester United (a), Everton (h).

Arsenal have rediscovered their winning touch. The Gunners have picked up successive wins against Wolves and Chelsea, bouncing back from their Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich and a 2-0 defeat by Aston Villa earlier this month.

Their recent success puts pressure on Manchester City to win their two games in hand, but Arsenal face their biggest test on Sunday when they visit Tottenham in the north London derby.

The Gunners’ 5-0 victory on Tuesday also proved valuable in extending their goal difference and they lead by some distance on 56 compared to Liverpool’s 41 and City’s 44.

Liverpool (second, played 34, points 74, goal difference 41)

Run-in: West Ham (a), Tottenham (h), Aston Villa (a), Wolves (h).

Klopp’s hopes of a fairytale end to his nine-year Anfield reign slipped further away following defeat to Sean Dyche’s side.

Liverpool had led the league for more than three months across two spells between Boxing Day and early April before hitting a patchy run of form this month.

They were knocked out of the Europa League by Atalanta at the quarter-final stage and beaten 1-0 by Crystal Palace in the league before responding with a 3-1 victory at Fulham on Sunday.

However, Klopp admitted post-Everton that they now need a “crisis” to affect Arsenal and Manchester City in order to salvage their slim title chances.

Manchester City (third, played 32, points 73, goal difference 44)

Run-in: Brighton (a), Nottingham Forest (a), Wolves (h), Fulham (a), Tottenham (a), West Ham (h).

Pep Guardiola’s side remain one point behind the Reds and are four away from Arsenal, but they have two games in hand.

City can jump above Liverpool into second if they pick up a draw or a win against Brighton on Thursday.

The in-form defending champions are on the hunt for a fourth successive league title and are unbeaten since December, dropping just eight points from a possible 51 during that time.

Erling Haaland – who has 20 Premier League goals this season – has been ruled out of the trip to the south coast, but could be in contention for Sunday’s game against Nottingham Forest.