LONDON (AP)

Arsenal gets another 'last chance' to revive their almost extinguished hopes of winning the Premier League title when they host leaders Liverpool on Sunday.

The Gunners are eight points off the lead and in fifth place after an inconsistent start to the season, but have still bounced back to beat one of their big rivals each time they have looked totally out of contention.

Losses at Stoke and Manchester City last month were followed respectively by wins over Manchester United and Chelsea, so there's no reason Arsenal can't rebound from a poor 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough by handing Liverpool just a second loss of the season.

More dropped points

Liverpool are equally desperate to add to victories over United and Chelsea, but three draws in their last four games have stopped them from building a lead over their title rivals. More dropped points on Sunday could give Chelsea the chance to go top when they play at Everton on Monday.

Liverpool winger, Albert Riera, suggested that the pressure of trying to win a first league title since 1990 is taking its toll.

"I think we've been more nervy than usual at Anfield," Riera said. "Maybe there's been a lack of precision in some of our passing and maybe we've been trying to play quicker than we need to."

Wear yellow

And Liverpool will get a reminder of how the Gunners have destroyed its title hopes in the past, with Arsenal urging their fans to wear yellow to match the away shirts worn by the team in the win at Liverpool that clinched the 1988-89 title.

Liverpool went into the final game of that season as league leaders and needed only to avoid a two-goal defeat at Anfield to clinch a third title in four years, but Alan Smith put Arsenal ahead and Michael Thomas scored in the final minute to give their team a first championship since 1971.

Arsenal are planning a 20th anniversary celebration at the end of the season but victory Sunday would start the party early.

Third-place Manchester United are not in action because of their participation in the Club World Cup in Japan, so Arsenal could overtake the defending champions. So could Aston Villa, who are at West Ham in one of tomorrow's five matches.

Like Liverpool and Arsenal, Chelsea are seeking to pull out of an inconsistent run, having missed the chance to move back to the top of the standings with one win in their past four Premier League matches.

Under-pressure manager Luiz Felipe Scolari could react to his team's sudden lack of goals - just four in four matches - by playing leading scorer Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba in attack. Scolari prefers to play a lone striker supported by two attacking midfielders, but the pair combined well when Drogba came on as a substitute in the Blues' last two games.

Great partnerships

Anelka, for one, is keen to forge a partnership with someone.

"I think it is strange because there have been some great partnerships," Anelka said. "The way football is now with two up front, it is seen as too attacking, but I think it is normal. Before, they used to use three or four.

"Football is stronger and quicker now, but I don't understand why we don't play like that now and everyone plays with one up front. I don't understand why."

Chelsea may not need two strikers, though, with Everton winless against the Blues since 2000 and outscored 37-12 in the teams' past 20 meetings.

Also this weekend, Blackburn hosts Stoke tomorrow when Bolton host Portsmouth, Fulham hosts Middlesbrough and Hull host Sunderland.

Tottenham are at Newcastle and West Bromwich Albion are at Manchester City on Sunday.