Both Chelsea and Arsenal can close the gap if they win their matches against Tottenham and Fulham respectively on Sunday. When asked by NBC Sports whether the postponement will help the two teams (and Manchester City), Neville said:
“Absolutely, I think to get within four points psychologically is a big thing for those clubs.”“Because they were looking last week at nine points, 11 points if you’re City. So, there is a real closing of the gap and I think that does make a difference.”
Having the points on the board is always better than a game in hand
The decision to reschedule the derby means that Arne Slot’s team will be playing catch-up on their rivals over the coming weeks.
Of course, it could prove useful to have a game in hand but, following the draw against Newcastle midweek, fans were hoping that the club could get back to winning the ways in the league as soon as possible. They will now not play again domestically until they face Fulham next Saturday.
When could Everton v Liverpool be played?
There aren’t too many gaps in the schedule where the derby can be slotted in. A good candidate does appear to be New Year’s Day.
The Reds play on December 29th against West Ham at the London Stadium with their next fixture versus Manchester United at Anfield on January 5th.
With Everton playing their matches on December 29th (against Nottingham Forest) and January 4th (versus Bournemouth), both teams are free on January 1st.
If there are logistical reasons why that date isn’t possible (the Reds could be playing in the Carabao Cup semi-final) then the next potential slot would be in mid to late February. Most Liverpool fans will be hoping to get the fixture out of the way much sooner than that.
