Gary Neville has doubled down on his bold prediction that Arsenal will still clinch the Premier League title, insisting the Gunners will “crawl” over the line despite mounting pressure from Manchester City.
Initially, Arsenal’s shock home defeat to Bournemouth appeared to hand momentum firmly to Pep Guardiola’s side.
Consequently, City capitalised in ruthless fashion, delivering a commanding second-half display to secure a 3-0 victory, powered by goals from Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guehi, and Jeremy Doku.
As a result, the title race has intensified heading into a blockbuster showdown at the Etihad Stadium.
With City gaining ground and confidence, the upcoming clash between the top two now carries the weight of a potential title decider.
Nevertheless, Neville remains unfazed by Arsenal’s recent stumble.
Instead, he views the setback as a natural part of a high-pressure run-in and believes it could ultimately strengthen their resolve.
The former Manchester United defender, drawing from his experience of winning multiple league titles, maintains that Arsenal still have what it takes to end their long wait for domestic glory.
“I have thought for a number of years with this Arsenal team that they’ve got to go and win a game that shakes the world. They’ve got to go to City next week and win,” he told Sky Sports.
“It doesn’t matter how it happens – they could get battered in the first half, but be goalless half-time, but then go and nick one with 15 minutes to go, and all of a sudden the lights come on and you’re nine points clear.
“That’s what Arsenal have got to believe this week.
“The problem they’ve got is they haven’t got anybody of experience in the club of winning a title.
“Gabriel Jesus maybe, but I don’t think he’s the type of player that’s going to translate that to a dressing room.
“He’s a good player, but he doesn’t seem to be that person who can really set the tone.
“Mikel Arteta is always looking to try and find a way of how to gain an advantage and he’s got to try and find something this week.”
Furthermore, Neville emphasized that this moment represents a defining opportunity for Arsenal to finally break their title drought.
He continued: “I do feel now is the time for Arsenal.
“I’m not going to go and say it’s now or never, but it does feel a bit like that.
“If you’ve had five years of trying to climb that mountain, and you’ve just failed at that final hurdle each time, there has to be a moment where you get over the line.
“Arsenal will crawl over the line. I don’t think they’ll get over the line easily, they might even lose next week, but I do think they’ve probably got a little bit of a cushion.
“Manchester City aren’t perfect, and Arsenal will just get there, but they’re in a lot more trouble than they were at 12.30pm on Saturday, when they were just about to kick off against Bournemouth.”
As the title race enters its decisive stretch, all eyes now turn to the Etihad, where momentum meets belief in what could be the defining clash of the season.
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