Liverpool told it is out of Premier League title race already by Arsenal icon

Arsenal icon Alan Smith thinks Liverpool is already out of the Premier League title race following Saturday's defeat to Nottingham Forest .

The Reds dropped their first points of the season in the Anfield disaster, falling short to their lesser opposition despite heading into the tie as heavy favorites. However, Callum Hudson-Odoi's second-half strike ensured they were left empty-handed .

Nonetheless, Liverpool is still only three points off top spot and sitting comfortably in fourth-place, yet Arne Slot's side appear to have been ruled out of the Premier League title-race already as a result of their setback at the weekend - even though they won their first three games of the campaign without conceding a goal.

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That appears to be the opinion of former Gunner Smith, who failed to name-drop Liverpool as a Premier League title rival when discussing Manchester City's huge clash with Arsenal this weekend.

Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the game, Smith said: "It's a huge occasion and I think on the day, fatigue won't be a problem because the adrenalin will be pumping, one of the biggest games of the season, the two title rivals, really - I think it's a two-horse race again this season. It should be compelling viewing."

Dismissing Liverpool as a Premier League title rival to the reigning champions after just four games of the season appears rather dramatic, but it's clear that the Reds didn't even cross Smith's mind when talking about City and his former club Arsenal ahead of their Etihad Stadium showdown.

However, Slot's side have the perfect chance to not only close the gap on the pair, but to at leapfrog one of them by collecting all three points against Bournemouth at Anfield on Saturday - 24 hours before Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta go head-to-head down the other end of the M62.

Should Liverpool beat Bournemouth by three goals or more, then it will climb above both City and Arsenal with a win, although just a point in Sunday's huge clash at the Etihad will see the hosts reclaim their position ahead of the Reds. As for the Gunners, they could very well find themselves below Liverpool come the end of the weekend should they fail to win.

Nonetheless, the Reds will still very much fancy themselves as title challengers this season despite the (hopefully) minute setback against Forest in their most recent fixture, especially considering the way they dispatched Manchester United before the international break, having already seen off Ipswich Town and Brentford .