Arsenal hold a six-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League after a dramatic weekend which saw Pep Guardiola’s side come from behind to beat Liverpool
Martin Keown is pleased Manchester City won at Anfield(Image: talkSPORT)
Martin Keown has insisted that Arsenal should be pleased that Manchester City beat Liverpool to keep the Premier League title race alive. City came from behind to win 2-1 at Anfield on Sunday and stay six points behind the Gunners at the top of the table.
When Dominik Szoboszlai smashed Liverpool in front in the 74th minute, it seemed as though Arsenal could be about to go nine points clear at the top following their 3-0 win over Sunderland. But goals from Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland turned things around in a dramatic and chaotic finale to keep City in the hunt.
Arsenal are going for their first Premier League title since 2003/04 and have finished second in the past three campaigns under Mikel Arteta’s management. They remain favourites to get the job done, with 13 matches left to play, and former Gunners defender Keown actually thinks that City’s win should be viewed positively by his old side.
Keown said on talkSPORT: “You think about the game before and you think: ‘Okay, if it goes to nine points, then we know the narrative will be that Arsenal are champions’. And I actually thought to myself, maybe it’s better that City win this game, just to keep it real. If you’re a prospective champion, this is the life that you have to lead. You expect the unexpected.
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“It was an amazing result for City. But Arsenal didn’t lose this weekend. Arsenal won a very important match against a really good side Sunderland.”
Asked to elaborate, he added: “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. 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.”
HAVE YOUR SAY! What do you make of Martin Keown’s theory? Comment below.
Erling Haaland’s penalty kept Manchester City in the Premier League title race(Image: Getty Images)
Arsenal are back in action against Brentford on Thursday, while City host Fulham on Wednesday night. Arteta has maintained a level head, refusing to get carried away after thumping wins over Leeds and Sunderland.
Asked on the weekend what their cushion at the top meant, Arteta replied: “Nothing, we still have to win so many games to achieve what we want. So, there’s no focus on that. We’ve done our job and what we had to do. Let’s try to improve and get ready for Brentford.”
He added: “We still have to win so many games to achieve what we want, so let’s not focus on that, that’s something else, we’ve done our job now, we’ve had what we have to do, assess that, try to improve it and get ready for Brentford. We have to keep raising our level.”
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