When Liverpool thrashed Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 a few weeks ago to officially clinch the 2024/25 Premier League title with four games to spare, it was beyond a joyous occasion.
It meant that huge fixtures against some other London based clubs would now not be as daunting and could be enjoyed for the big occasions that they are from a pure footballing perspective.
Arne Slot took the first opportunity as newly minted English champions to rest a good portion of his regular starters for the match against Chelsea. A disjointed and anticlimactic performance followed as the Reds succumbed to a 3-1 defeat.
With their nearest challengers making the trip to Anfield on Sunday, I believe Liverpool must pivot back to their heavy hitters for this one.
A victory for Slot's men against a visiting Arsenal would be the perfect cap on the title-winning campaign and there are a few reasons why.
Bury the Gunners as much as you can
As of this writing, the Reds are 15 points clear of the Gunners in second. A win here would push that to near twenty, which is more than a symbolic message, it's an undeniable truth of who the best club was all season long.
Arsenal are coming off a disappointing Champions League exit at the semifinal stage and will be more than crushed at their last chance at glory this season being taken away. How will they respond?
Liverpool could deal not only a tangible blow in the table with victory, but they could send Arteta's charges into a deeper spiral with an emphatic win that leaves no doubt.
Heading into a summer of change for both clubs, ending this campaign by hammering your nearest title rivals and leaving them nearly 20 points in your wake would leave both clubs in very different states of mind.
The Champions will be surging into the summer with confidence and eagerness to carry on the dominance next season, while the other would be left picking up the pieces of a catastrophic final few months.
Erase recent frustrations versus Arsenal
Liverpool have only beaten the Gunners once in their last five meetings, and that came in the FA Cup. The Reds have gone 0-3-1 in the other four meetings, all coming in the Premier League.
The inability to get over the hump consistently against one of your main title contenders has to be frustrating for the club. While Slot has not been here for all of these matches, he experienced a 2-2 draw in October of this season in a match Liverpool needed a late goal to salvage a point.
Getting a win on Sunday would go a long way to restoring self-belief in the side for the next time these two meet.
It's one thing to cruise against the rest of the lower clubs in the league, but if you cannot consistently defeat those around you, that will eventually come back to haunt you at some point in the future.
Liverpool can erase any concerns from this matchup in the near future while in the same breath deal a potential haymaker to the psyche of one of their main rivals from recent seasons. All it will take is a renewed performance and victory in front of the Anfield faithful.