Similarly, United will be asking Luke Shaw to keep it clean at home to Villa. While they have Sergio Reguilon in reserve should they need him to start at Nottingham Forest on New Year’s Eve (NYE), Shaw is one of their most influential players. Having him available for a tricky trip to Forest would aid Erik ten Hag in his bid to secure a morale-boosting result.

Liverpool and United are not the only clubs anxious. Arsenal have Ben White on four yellows ahead of the visit of West Ham to the Emirates. They take on Fulham at Craven Cottage in their next match after that on NYE.

Tottenham meanwhile have three – Cristian Romero, Pape Matar Sarr and Dejan Kulusevski – at risk of a ban when they face Everton. Spurs’ next match after that is also a NYE contest at home to Bournemouth.

It comes with Chelsea having been hit with a double punishment for their match against Crystal Palace on the 27th. Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer were carded at Wolves on Christmas Eve for simulation and kicking the ball away after a stop in play respectively.

Sterling was harshly booked with replays showing he clearly felt contact from a Wolves defender as he went down and his manager Mauricio Pochettino responded: “Yes for me Raheem’s was harsh but, of course, it’s a frustration.

“They are young and sometimes they get frustrated but now we are without two more players.” Enzo Fernandez is also on four bookings for Chelsea when they face Palace, meaning any caution would leave him unavailable for a testing 12.30pm kick-off away at Luton on NYE.

Every Premier League player on four yellow cards

Ben White (Arsenal)
John McGinn (Aston Villa)
Jhon Duran (Aston Villa)
Nicolo Zaniolo (Aston Villa)
Marcos Senesi (Bournemouth)
Kristoffer Ajer (Brentford)
Saman Ghoddos (Brentford)
Billy Gilmour (Brighton)
Lewis Dunk (Brighton)
Karou Mitoma (Brighton)
Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea)
Joachim Andersen (Crystal Palace)
Joel Ward (Crystal Palace)
Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace)
Abdoulaye Doucoure (Everton)
Ashley Young (Everton)
Antonee Robinson (Fulham)
Wataru Endo (Liverpool)
Darwin Nunez (Liverpool)
Tom Lockyer (Luton)
Issa Kabore (Luton)
Jamaal Lascelles (Newcastle)
Joelinton (Newcastle)
Sean Longstaff (Newcastle)
Orel Mangala (Nottingham Forest)
Ibrahim Sangare (Nottingham Forest)
Luke Shaw (Manchester United)
Anel Ahmedhodzic (Sheffield United)
Gustavo Hamer (Sheffield United)
William Osula (Sheffield United)
Dejan Kulusevski (Tottenham)
Cristian Romero (Tottenham)
Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham)
Vladimir Coufal (West Ham)
Rayan Ait-Nouri (Wolves)
Hwang Hee-chan (Wolves)

Liverpool has its own William Saliba and Jürgen Klopp is about to need him more than ever

Arsenal defender William Saliba was very impressive against Liverpool at Anfield but Jürgen Klopp has his own version. The most consistent one could decide the title.

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Arsenal’s Kai Havertz is challenged by Liverpool duo Ibrahima Konaté and Trent Alexander-Arnold. (Image: Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

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While there was a lot of good play to enjoy all across the pitch as Liverpool and Arsenal, two of the leading Premier League title contenders, faced off at Anfield, it was the center-backs who impressed the most as a collective. At both ends, some of the defensive play, in and out of possession, was remarkably good.

Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté for Liverpool and Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba for Arsenal delivered a masterclass in defending. Each is comfortable on the ball — though Van Dijk and Saliba are ahead of the others in that regard — and the number of errors between the quartet was kept to a minimum.

For Liverpool fans, this was a chance to watch Saliba first-hand and experience exactly what the 22-year-old is all about. While he still has a way to go before he can seriously be compared to Van Dijk, the ceiling and potential is clearly there. This was a supreme performance from a very young and relatively inexperienced player.

Liverpool’s own Saliba, though, should not be forgotten. Konaté offers less on the ball and can be a little clunky at times, but off it, coming up against the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli, he was faultless: front foot, aggressive, and rapid across the ground whenever he needed to cover in full-back areas.

Konaté showed exactly what kind of elite defender he can be with a big performance. Before his potentially season-ending injury, Joël Matip was often preferred over the Frenchman this season but there is a chance now for Konaté to establish himself as the number one pick after Van Dijk.

Liverpool will, in fact, need that to be the case. Konaté will need to play regularly with Joe Gomez now set for a spell at left-back and Jarell Quansah still only 20 and inexperienced. Konaté will get a long run in the side but he needs to deliver.

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The big question, really, has only ever been about whether or not Liverpool’s number five can avoid injuries long enough to become consistent. He is clearly a player with a very high potential and now has a chance to prove that with a run in the team.

For the rest of this season, Konaté’s challenge is clear: while injuries are not something he can control, his form needs to be consistent enough for him to stay in the team and lead it to multiple finals and trophies. There has often been rotation at Liverpool at the back during his time at Anfield and that will continue to some extent, but less so than before thanks to the limited number of alternative options.

While Jürgen Klopp has played down the chances of Liverpool being able to find the perfect center-back to sign in January, it surely has to be a priority for 2024. Van Dijk and Matip are both 32 and the latter is out of contract in six months as things stand.

For Konaté, the task is to make sure that whoever comes in is a player like he was when he arrived: someone who can slowly be integrated, who has a high ceiling but doesn’t need to be rushed, rather than being an automatic selection alongside Van Dijk. Konaté and Saliba are both elite young defenders, and the one who comes out on top for the remainder of the campaign could yet decide the destination of the Premier League title.