With the Premier League title race on hold for a short while, Arsenal and Liverpool will instead battle it out for a place in round four of the FA Cup at the Emirates on Sunday afternoon.
The Gunners brought 2023 to a close with a deserved 2-1 loss away to Fulham, one day before the rampant Reds extended their lead at the top of the table with a 4-2 win over Newcastle United.
Bukayo Saka's improvised finish with just five minutes gone proved to be just a minor setback for Marco Silva's men, who came forward in droves and were rewarded with strikes from Raul Jimenez and Bobby Decordova-Reid, the latter lashing home from a corner as Arsenal's set-piece frailties were exposed once more.
Owing to another toothless attacking performance, Arsenal squandered the chance to end a second successive calendar year at the top of the table and have been bumped down to an unsightly fourth position amid their festive plight, which has seen the Gunners claim just one win from their last six games.
While the hierarchy scope out potential additions to the squad in the notoriously challenging January transfer window - a new left-back is said to be priority number one due to a lack of affordable midfielders and strikers - Arteta's on-field troops now begin their latest crusade in the FA Cup, a tournament they have won a record 14 times down the years.
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