Everton FC v Arsenal FC - Premier League
Martin Keown won three Premier League titles at Arsenal (Picture: Getty)
Martin Keown claims it could be ‘better’ and ‘healthier’ for Arsenal that Premier League title rivals Manchester City pulled off an incredible win over Liverpool at Anfield.
Man City were staring down the barrel of a nine-point deficit in the title race after seeing Arsenal win earlier in the weekend and Liverpool take the lead in Sunday’s much-anticipated clash.
Mikel Arteta’s side, bidding to win the Premier League for the first time in 22 years, beat Sunderland 3-0 on Saturday to temporarily move nine points clear at the top of the table.
It looked as though Arsenal would end the weekend with that significant lead when Dominik Szoboszlai scored a brilliant 74th-minute free-kick to break the deadlock.
But Bernardo Silva equalised ten minutes later and Erling Haaland scored an injury-time penalty as Man City produced an impressive comeback to seal their first win at Anfield since 2021.
The turnaround leaves Pep Guardiola’s side six points behind title rivals Arsenal with 13 games remaining.
Most pundits suggested the title race would have been all but done had Liverpool beaten Man City but Keown believes the comeback could in fact be ‘healthy’ for his former club Arsenal.
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Liverpool v Manchester City - Premier League
Erling Haaland scored an injury-time winner at Anfield (Picture: Getty)
‘I was thinking about the game the other day and you know if Arsenal’s lead goes to nine points the narrative will be that their champions,’ the three-time title winner said on talkSPORT.
‘I actually thought to myself, maybe it’s better if Man City win this game just to keep you real. If you’re a prospective champion, this is the life you have to lead.
‘You have to expect the unexpected, it was an amazing result for Man City but Arsenal didn’t lose any ground this weekend, they themselves won an important match against a good side.
Arsenal v Sunderland - Premier League
Arsenal beat Sunderland earlier in the weekend (Picture: Getty)
‘There’s so many more twists and turns to go but you have to shut out the outside noise. Of course it would have been handy to go nine points clear but the fact it didn’t happen, Arsenal haven’t been derailed by that.
‘I actually saw a lot from Arsenal at the weekend that made me think they will go the distance. Man City may look at this as a definitive moment for them in the title race and a win that has kept them alive but it was always alive.
‘And actually, I think six points instead of nine is healthier because the narrative of Arsenal not being strong enough.
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‘If they go nine points clear, it’s theirs to lose again and we get all that propaganda to try and keep this story alive.’
Arsenal’s lead could be cut to just three points by the time they face London rivals Brentford on Thursday night as Manchester City take on Fulham the previous evening.
Speaking after the comeback at Anfield, Guardiola insisted there was ‘a lot of time’ for twists and turns in the title race as Man City bid to reel in Arsenal.
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‘I have a feeling that improving a little bit will not be enough to compete against Arsenal,’ Guardiola said. ‘We have to play them at home and of course we have to beat them.
‘And I’ve said, 13 games in the Premier League, from my point of view, from my little experience, is a lot of time, a lot.
‘It’s proper. When you go into the last games playing any team in a relegation battle, it’s a proper game, football game.
‘Because they live to survive and they have long weeks to prepare, whereas you come from FA Cup, you come from Carabao Cup, you come from the Champions League.
‘That makes an influence in the title race, that’s why being nine, 10, 11 points is more difficult, that’s why all we can do is breathe down the neck of Arsenal.
‘We need to keep being there, and try if they sleep, if they make something [a mistake], to use it.’
Arsenal play Manchester City twice in the space of three weeks towards the end of the season, first in the Carabao Cup final and then in a huge Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium.
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