Arsenal are on the cusp of achieving historic success this season
Arsenal have regained the initiative in the Premier League title race. Mikel Arteta’s side enjoyed a 3-0 demolition of Fulham at home on Saturday.
The Gunners secured a comfortable victory thanks to a brace from Viktor Gyokeres brace and a Bukayo Saka goal, bringing an end to a tense and gruelling spell for Arsenal where goals had proven elusive. The result swung the momentum of the title race firmly back in their favour.
Arsenal now boast a six-point advantage over Manchester City with three league games remaining, although City have two games in hand. Crucially, Arteta’s men emerged unscathed from further injury concerns ahead of a monumental fixture on Tuesday — a Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid at the Emirates Stadium.
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The league leaders now stand just five wins away from potentially clinching a historic double. Here, football.london examines two of the most recent stories surrounding Arsenal.
Paul Merson’s ‘severe pressure’ prediction
Paul Merson believes there will be “severe pressure” on Arsenal if City win their two games in hand. Arteta’s side currently have a slight psychological advantage over Pep Guardiola’s men, having already banked six points, while City must win both of their games in hand just to draw level on points heading into the final three matches of the season.
However, former Arsenal midfielder Merson has warned that things could turn uncomfortable for the north Londoners if they approach Sunday’s fixture at West Ham level on points with City, given the mounting pressure they would face.
Merson said: “If Man City win the next two games against Everton and Brentford, there’s severe pressure for Arsenal to beat West Ham. That is one hard game. West Ham are fighting for their lives in the Premier League.
“Then you don’t know what happens on Tuesday night, it might go to extra time. There’s so much to go with it.
“If I had to pick a team [to win the title] at the moment, I’d have to pick Arsenal because of the fixtures that Man City have got. They have to play Everton and Bournemouth and they’re difficult matches.”
Ian Wright proven right on Gyokeres
Ian Wright has been vindicated after claiming that Arsenal bought Gyokeres to score against sides outside the traditional top six. When Gyokeres was signed for around £64million last summer, certain pundits voiced doubts over his remarkable goal-scoring record at Sporting CP by saying the bulk of his goals came against inferior opposition in the Portuguese league.
Wright, himself a lethal striker for the Gunners in his prime, had insisted earlier this season that Arsenal had only been one natural goal-scorer short of clinching the title in previous campaigns. Despite Gyokeres’ obvious difficulties in his debut season in N5, he has now managed 21 goals across all competitions.
With two of those crucial goals coming against Fulham, the Swede justified Wright’s earlier suggestions. Reflecting on the victory over Fulham, Wright reinforced his stance, telling Premier League Live: “People have been saying for many years Arsenal need to get a striker. Then we get the striker and people say he’s not good enough.
“You have to say 21 goals, obviously 12 in the Premier League, says that he’s done the job for us. He did the job for us today and I’m sure against the teams we’ve got coming like West Ham, I think he could probably put in the same kind of performance and probably nick another couple of goals.
“If he only scores against those kind of teams that’s what Arsenal have always needed. They don’t have problems scoring against the top six, it’s the other teams like the Fulhams and the Wolves and the teams like that we’ve had problems scoring against. He’s come in and he’s kind of solved that problem for us.”
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.
