Arsenal ‘will have to do something miraculous… but the title race is still in their hands’, says Carragher – as Neville tells them to ‘pick themselves up for the game of their lives’ ahead of Man City clash
- The Gunners watched their title dreams fade as they drew with Southampton
- Jamie Carragher did not hold back in brutal assessment of Arsenal’s chances
- The former Liverpool defender said they will need ‘something miraculous’ now
Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville did not hold back in their assessment’s on Arsenal’s chances of winning the Premier League.
The Gunners watched their lead at the top of the table cut to five points after their disappointing 3-3 draw with Southampton on Friday night.
Mikel Arteta’s side battled back late on to rescue a point from the match but the result leaves them within the grasp of second-placed Manchester City, who have two games in hand on the Gunners.
And, speaking after the match, co-commentators Neville and Carragher insisted that the Gunners would need ‘something miraculous’ to win the league title.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville said: ‘Arsenal got back in the game, and they got a point out of it. The players have got to pick themselves up for the game of their lives at the Etihad.
Arsenal’s title hopes were dealt a massive blow as they drew 3-3 with Southampton on Friday
Jamie Carragher (L) and Gary Neville said Arsenal need ‘something miraculous’ to win the title
‘It’s not the result they would have wanted before the game, but it is better than they could have hoped for with five or 10 minutes to go.
‘They are still alive. It’s not over yet and still in Arsenal’s hands but they have the huge task of going to the powerhouse that is Manchester City on Wednesday.’
His co-commentator, Carragher, agreed as he said: ‘Whether the point makes that much difference to Arsenal, I’m not quite sure.
‘They’ve probably got to go to Man City and get three points if they want to go on and win the league.
‘It is still in Arsenal’s hands, and we keep saying it, and it just shows you how far ahead they were.
‘They’ve dropped six points in the last three games, and it is still in their hands.
‘They did have a really sizeable lead, but they are going to have to do something miraculous now between now and the end of the season.
‘But we’ve seen them go on runs before, certainly on the back of losing to Man City at Emirates Stadium. That was a big disappointment, but they went on to win the next seven games.
The league leaders will have to travel to Manchester City for their next match in the top-flight
‘They’ve got six games to go now, and they will have to go and do something special between now and the end of the season to win it.’
The Gunners fell to an early setback in the match when Carlos Alcaraz capitalised on a loose ball from Aaron Ramsdale and gave the visitors the lead.
Former Arsenal star Theo Walcott then doubled their lead with a neat finish before Gabriel Martinelli fired back shortly after.
Southampton then went two goals ahead in the 66th minute after Duje Caleta-Car headed home from a corner and it seemed as though the Saints had secured a win.
But Arsenal fired back in dramatic fashion as Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka both notched to salvage a point for the Premier League leaders.
The result leaves them five points clear of Man City, but Pep Guardiola’s side have two games in hand and will face Arsenal in a crunch match on Wednesday night.
The Gunners are five points clear at the top but Man City have two games in hand on them