Mind games make up a Premier League title battle almost as much as what happens on the pitch, as a manager looks to find the edge over his rivals.
That may have been at play in Mikel Arteta's pre-match news conference on Friday when the Arsenal boss was asked whether he expects leaders Liverpool to have a difficult spell.
"They normally do," he said. "So we have to be there. That's for sure."
But based on Saturday's display, Liverpool are showing no signs of suffering a blip anytime soon as they swept aside Ipswich 4-1 to maintain their six-point advantage over the Gunners, who edged past Wolves.