Former Newcastle United forward Alan Shearer has assessed Arsenal's nearest rivals for the Premier League title following another dramatic weekend in the top flight
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer has revealed who he believes Arsenal's closest title challengers are going to be
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Alan Shearer believes that Manchester City are Arsenal's closest challengers for the Premier League title - despite Gary Lineker's call for second-place Chelsea to be in with a shout.
Mikel Arteta's side moved six points clear at the top of the table with a 4-1 thrashing against Tottenham in the North London Derby on Sunday. The Gunners ran riot at the Emirates Stadium, with Leandro Trossard scoring the opener before Eberechi Eze fired home a memorable hat-trick.
They capitalised on Manchester City losing at Newcastle United on Saturday, meaning the Gunners sit seven ahead of Pep Guardiola's side and six in front of Chelsea, who leapt up to second following a 2-0 win against Burnley. As for Liverpool, the reigning champions slipped to 11th after a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest.
When discussing Arsenal's closest rivals for the title on the Rest Is Football, Lineker raised the point about Chelsea emerging as potential candidates, after recording a fifth win in six top-flight games.
However, Shearer was having none of it, branding City as the team that will pose the biggest threat to Arsenal for the Premier League title this season.
Shearer said: "I'd still say City because we've seen City after Christmas do it, they are used to it, they can do it and we know that. It's different because defensively they are not as good as they have been, but because they have been there and know what to expect, I would still say it would be Man City."
Pep Guardiola looks down
Pep Guardiola's Man City fell behind Arsenal in the Premier League title race
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Ex-City right-back Richard agreed with Shearer, adding: "I would say Man City as well but Chelsea can beat anyone on their day. I think they can put in some really good performances, as we saw at the Club World Cup. But I don't think they have a enough at the moment to go all the way, but they are improving."
Arsenal have been in tremendous form since losing against Liverpool in August. Indeed, they have won 13 and drawn two of their last 15 fixtures across all competitions. Seven of those victories have come in the Premier League - a run that has seen them climb into a comfortable position at the top of the table.
Assessing his side's position at the top of the Premier League, Arteta said post-Tottenham: "We are doing really well, we've been really consistent, and that's it. I mean, when you look at the results, whether they win or lose, the difference in the scoreline and actually what happens in games is really small. We know that.
"We need players back immediately today. We've got Noni back on the pitch, which is great, but we're still missing a lot, a lot of important players, and we're going to need all of them. The good news is we lost big Gabi, which is a massive blow, and Piero [Hincapie] comes in, and I think he was fantastic from the beginning."
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