Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has made a bold Premier League prediction on Arsenal following their 2-1 loss to Manchester City on Sunday.
The Gunners suffered their second-straight loss in the league at the Etihad Stadium yesterday.
They produced a good attacking performance on the road, but lacked some good fortune. Kai Havertz twice came close to scoring the Gunners’ second goal.
Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes also rattled the woodwork. Erling Haaland scored the winner for the Cityzens, but the result could have been much different on another day.
Speaking after the game on BBC Sport, Rooney said that the league title race could be ‘tight’. He added that Arsenal have good fixtures and could win their remaining five games.
The former United star also feels Man City could drop points at Everton in the run-in. Rooney urged the Arsenal fans to get behind the team as they seek to end their long title drought.
He said: “I think it’ll be tight. Arsenal, they have got good fixtures for them and will win all their games, but City’s fixtures are a little bit more difficult, so Everton might take some points off them.
“The fans have got to play a big role. Last season, against Real Madrid, they were excellent, and PSG was very poor. In the game with Bournemouth, they booed players off the pitch.
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“They’ve been top of the league this whole time. So the Arsenal fans… I want Arsenal to win the league, I don’t care what Man City to win the league, but Arsenal fans need to get behind the team.”
Arsenal need a perfect end to the league season
The Gunners had a reasonable advantage over the Cityzens at the top before the international break.
That has diminished with back-to-back league defeats this month. Man City play Burnley on Wednesday night, and can go top with any form of victory.
A 1-0 win would see them leapfrog the Gunners to the top spot on goals scored. They could also bolster their goal difference with a big-margin victory.
Hence, Arsenal find themselves with a slight disadvantage in the final stretch, but they still have their title destiny in their own hands for the campaign.
The Gunners face five teams in the bottom half of the table. They host Newcastle United, Fulham and Burnley, while facing West Ham United and Crystal Palace away.
On the other hand, Man City’s six-game run includes away trips to Everton and Bournemouth. They have a tricky fixture against Villa on the final day at the Etihad.
Hence, the title race is far from a conclusion. Arsenal need a perfect ending with five straight wins. They also need to score plenty of goals to stay ahead of Man City.
Whether they can do it remains a big question. Yesterday’s performance showed plenty of promise. They need to replicate the same while scoring loads of goals.