Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has told Arsenal to worry about teams directly below them in a blistering rant following the Gunners' draw at Old Trafford on Sunday.
United took the lead on the stroke of half-time as Bruno Fernandes' free kick beat the wall which was claimed to be more than a yard further back than it needed to be. Arsenal had plenty of the ball but struggled to break down a resolute United defence but they eventually managed to gain their equaliser thanks to Declan Rice's impressive strike.
Despite the momentum seemingly being with the Gunners, they had David Raya to thank for keeping a point at the death as he clawed Fernandes' effort off the line. With the points shared, Arsenal are now 15 points behind Liverpool who have played a game more.
Reflecting on Arsenal's title challenge, Keane unleashed a furious rant on the current squad as he declared the title race to have been over several weeks ago. "They scored seven during the week but they didn’t look like they had any swagger about them today," he began.
"They had bits of possession but, if anything, you thought that United are probably going to win it and United have been dreadful all season. I would be looking at Arsenal’s mentality and their swagger and going: ‘Where was it?’
"You are coming to United, you must smell that United are here for the taking. United were sitting and hoping to get something on the counter attack but Arsenal did not show… they weren’t streetwise.
"At the end they were really open and United probably should have won the game. It might be [a mentality issue].
"We have been praising Arsenal the last few years saying they have done well and made progress, but the next step is always the hardest one. This idea over the last few years that they have made real progress - second, second bleh.
"If you are playing for Arsenal, what good is second to you? If you are talking about winning league titles, don’t compare them to United, but the next step - getting over the line - is the hardest.
Gabriel Magalhaes reacts to Arsenal's draw with Manchester United
Gabriel Magalhaes reacts to Arsenal's draw with Manchester United (Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
"I am not seeing an Arsenal team turning up today and thinking: ‘I tell you what, they were machine-like, they knew United were there for the taking.' They were not even ready to take that step.
"Forget Liverpool, be more worried about the teams that are coming up behind you. I was not happy with their mindset.
"United should have won it at the end with a really poor team." Not content with that scathing analysis, Keane would later add: "Ten draws, ten draws is it?
"You are not winning any league titles with ten draws [shrugs]. There will be some frustration from the last few years that they didn’t get over the line or they didn’t get themselves a cup.
"Then they have the injuries and we saw the manager there, he certainly looks frustrated. Obviously the title was gone a few weeks ago but he will still want his club and team to show a great mentality and try to keep some sort of pressure on Liverpool.
"But over the last two or three games, that’s gone now. We mentioned earlier that the biggest concern now is what is happening with the teams behind them.
"They have lost that momentum for the season and I think what we saw today was nowhere near good enough. They have set really high standards over the last few years and on the one hand you want to give them credit but we always say the next step is the hardest step in terms of trying to win a league title."
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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