Arsenal’s title hopes are still very much alive. So far they’ve been able to overcome the hurdles of their London rivals. There are already 3 games to go for the Gunners. And as it stands they only need a minor slip-up from Man City to regain their lead at the top.
Their last game saw them overwhelm their North London rivals Tottenham Hotspurs, in a thrilling 3-2 encounter. Although as it stands they are top of the table, Man City has an outstanding game.
The game would be against the Spurs. If the Cityzens win against Spurs, they’ll send Arsenal back to 2nd. Nevertheless, Man City’s outstanding isn’t the only worry the Gunners have ahead of them. They also have other tricky fixtures.
An Arsenal Ex-Player has pointed saying “Arsenal Has One More Tough Game”
Paul Merson: Arsenal Has One More Tough Game
The former Arsenal Attacker has pointed out that the Gunners still have one more tough fixture ahead.
He said, “The pressure is on Arsenal this season, which wasn’t the case last term. That’s why this could be a massive match for the Gunners. If they lose this game, then Arsenal could find themselves five points behind Manchester City by the end of the weekend
“I honestly think this is a hard one to call. Manchester United have had their ups and downs, but they can turn up for games. But I’m going with Arsenal because of their home advantage. This one can go one way or the other.”
Paul Merson later predicted a 3-1 win in favor of Arsenal.
A Recap of the London derbies
Arsenal had two thrilling derby encounters within the space of 5 days. They first hosted Chelsea, and 5 days later they visited the nearby Spurs stadium. The Gunners proved dominant, by taking away 6 points from both fixtures. The first game against the Blues seemed the easiest, as they breezed 5 past them. Although Chelsea had a couple of chances before the game became uncontrollable. Yet it was squandered.
At Tottenham Hotspur stadium, it wasn’t very far off from the Blues game at the start, but it nearly became a Spurs comeback at the end. The Gunners took a 3-goal lead at half-time. It already seemed a done deal. But in 2nd half, Spurs looked to slowly claw their way back into the game. Unluckily for them, they got only 2 back.
The win for Arsenal sent them to the top. They’ll only hope to win their remaining games and pray City drops the least point.
Also Read: Elite Real Madrid Extends Unbeaten Run Against Bayern To 7 Games
Mikel Arteta‘s view on the win
Mikel showed his joy over the wins. Against the Spurs game, he expressed how pleased he was over his team’s performance.
He said, “I was praying when Spurs put the ball in our box. It was a really emotional game, a really tough place to come in this stadium, and a tough team to play against.
“We were 3-0 up, in control of the game. Then in the second half, we were dominating the game and creating chances.
“Then an individual error happens, that puts a message in your brain. We were dealing with the situations better, another [goal], and then it’s game on.
“They have the players and the quality to commit a lot of players forward. We had to suffer and react and I’m very pleased that we did.”
More Task ahead
Arsenal will host an in-form Bournemouth during the weekend. The following week, they’ll travel to Old Trafford in another difficult fixture. On the final day, they host Everton.
It’ll be a strong test for the Gunners within the next few weeks. Their results in those games will be part of the determinant for league pursuit.
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