Champions' Crisis: Slot's Liverpool Stall as Title Defense Crumbles
Liverpool's goalless stalemate with resilient Leeds United at Anfield marks another dispiriting chapter in what has become a disastrous title defense. Sitting 12 points adrift of Arsenal with their set-piece woes now chronic, Arne Slot's champions are rapidly fading from contention.
The reigning champions began 2026 not with a bang, but with a whimper. Liverpool's sterile 0-0 draw against newly-promoted Leeds United at Anfield on New Year's Day encapsulated everything wrong with their catastrophic title defense—a campaign that has seen Arne Slot's side plummet from glory to crisis in just seven months.
From Champions to Chasers: The Stunning Collapse
This wasn't supposed to happen. Not after Slot made history by winning the Premier League in his debut season last year, becoming just the seventh manager to achieve the feat. Not after Liverpool clinched the title with four matches to spare. Yet here they sit, languishing in fourth place with 33 points—a staggering 12 points behind runaway leaders Arsenal, who demolished Aston Villa 4-1 just 24 hours earlier to consolidate their grip on the summit.
The statistics paint a grim picture of Liverpool's fall from grace. An autumn collapse saw the Reds lose six of seven Premier League matches, sending them tumbling to 12th place by late November. While they've since stabilized with an eight-match unbeaten run, draws like Wednesday's have become all too familiar. This was Liverpool's first goalless stalemate under Slot and their first 0-0 in any competition since December 2023 against Manchester United—ending a two-year streak.
The Set-Piece Plague That Won't Go Away
Liverpool's Achilles heel this season has been brutally exposed: defending set-pieces. The champions have conceded a league-worst 12 goals from dead-ball situations—accounting for a shocking 46% of their 26 goals conceded. Slot himself admitted it's "impossible to be top-four, top-five with our set-piece balance, let alone winning the league." The crisis reached its nadir this week when set-piece coach Aaron Briggs departed the club, a clear indication that drastic changes are needed.
Against Leeds, Liverpool dominated possession (69%) and attempts (19 shots to four), generating an expected goals tally of 1.96—the highest xG figure for a team that failed to score in any Premier League match this season. Yet Daniel Farke's disciplined visitors, who earned their first away clean sheet of the campaign, demonstrated exactly the kind of defensive resilience Liverpool have lacked all season. Leeds goalkeeper made just two saves, but both were crucial.
Leeds' Survival Blueprint Takes Shape
For Leeds United, back in the top flight after winning the Championship title with 100 points under Farke, this represented a statement result. The Peacocks came into this fixture 16th with 21 points, seven clear of the relegation zone, but crucially unbeaten in their last six league matches. That run included a remarkable 3-3 draw at Elland Road earlier in the season where Ao Tanaka's injury-time equalizer denied Liverpool victory.
Farke, whose previous Premier League stints with Norwich ended in relegation, has clearly learned from past mistakes. The German tactician has built a more physical, defensively solid unit—a stark contrast to the possession-dominant style that saw Vincent Kompany's Burnley and Russell Martin's Southampton relegated last season while trying to play expansive football. Leeds' recruitment reflected this pragmatism: only left-back Gabriel Gudmundsson stands under six feet tall in their squad.
Arsenal Seize Control of Title Race
While Liverpool stagnate, Arsenal are surging. Mikel Arteta's side leads with 45 points from 19 matches—six clear of defending champions Manchester City (40 points from 18 games) and 12 ahead of Liverpool. The Gunners are bidding for their first Premier League crown since 2004, and their current form suggests this could finally be their year. Their 4-1 thrashing of third-placed Aston Villa, ending the Villans' 11-match winning streak, sent a clear message to every rival.
Liverpool's title defense now appears all but over. Slot's revolution, which promised so much after last season's triumph, has been undermined by defensive frailties and an inability to break down stubborn opposition. The tragic loss of Diogo Jota in a car accident before the season began has also impacted squad depth, though the Reds' problems run far deeper than personnel.
What's Next for the Struggling Reds
Liverpool's run of four consecutive wins across all competitions ended at Anfield, but their unbeaten streak extended to eight matches. That's cold comfort for supporters who watched their team produce 19 attempts without finding the net. Alisson Becker recorded his fifth clean sheet of the season, having conceded 16 goals in 14 appearances and saving 61% of shots on target—respectable numbers that belie the chaos unfolding in front of him.
The champions face a critical January period. With the transfer window now open and their set-piece coach gone, Slot must find solutions quickly or risk this season spiraling into complete mediocrity. Leeds, meanwhile, will take enormous confidence from proving they can compete with the so-called elite. Their approach—disciplined, physical, and pragmatic—offers a template for Premier League survival that might just work where others have failed.
The Analyst's Verdict
Impact Rating: B+
Liverpool's title defense is effectively over at the halfway point. The 12-point deficit to Arsenal is insurmountable given their current form and defensive fragility. The departure of their set-piece coach signals panic, not planning. Meanwhile, Leeds have discovered a winning formula: frustrate opponents, stay compact, and capitalize on set-pieces. Expect Farke's pragmatic approach to keep Leeds comfortably clear of relegation, while Liverpool's season will be defined by whether they can salvage Champions League qualification. Arsenal's coronation looks increasingly inevitable.
Anfield's Achilles Heel: Can Leeds Exploit Liverpool's Set-Piece Crisis?
Liverpool enter 2026 with a glaring vulnerability: 12 goals conceded from set-pieces, the worst record across Europe's elite leagues. Facing them is Dominic Calvert-Lewin, riding the longest scoring streak by an English striker since Jamie Vardy. With Leeds already securing a dramatic 3-3 draw at Elland Road in December, Thursday's encounter promises tactical intrigue beyond the fixture's traditional rivalry.
Arsenal's Title Cushion Grows as Citizens Stumble at Sunderland
Manchester City's title chase hit another speed bump on New Year's Day as they were held to a goalless draw at the Stadium of Light. The stalemate, part of an extraordinary low-scoring Premier League matchday that saw only two goals across four fixtures, extends Arsenal's advantage to four points at the season's halfway mark.
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