Wayne Rooney still believes Arsenal are favourites to win the Premier League title despite Sunday’s damaging defeat against Manchester City.
The Gunners gave nearly as good as they got on the Etihad Stadium but were ultimately left to rue missed possibilities and their failure to stop Erling Haaland sweeping home the winning goal within the sixty fifth minute.
Pep Guardiola’s side will now leapfrog long-time leaders Arsenal in the event that they beat Burnley at Turf Moor in midweek courtesy of their superior goal difference.
With five games to go, nonetheless, Rooney feels it is much too premature to put in writing off Mikel Arteta’s men, even when the bookies’ now have City within the driving seat.
‘This title race is just not over yet, I still feel like there are some more twists and turns to come back,’ said the previous Manchester United striker.
‘It’s is clearly going to be tight but City have gotten yet one more game to attempt to win, so I still have Arsenal down as slight favourites.
‘I’ve been in this case myself, where you could win all of your games for the title. You take a look at your games and you’re thinking that well we should always win this one, or that one, nevertheless it never pans out that way.
‘From now until the top of the season it’s just going to be right down to which team keeps their composure the very best – that’s who will win it.’
While he stopped in need of agreeing with Rooney, Guardiola was keen to sound a note of caution and remind his ow players that winning the league from this position might be removed from a forgone conclusion.
He said: ‘I don’t know, I didn’t think Arsenal were in bad momentum. Within the Carabao Cup we were higher.
‘Today we were really good. They got here here after the defeat with hunger and we won. They’re are so competitive, we all know that. But at the identical time, we’re too.
‘The table speaks for itself. They’ve been the very best. Congratulations to the blokes, but don’t lose the main focus.
‘Wednesday is our game in hand and we might be there if we win. That’s what now we have to do. Doing it would be so difficult because Everton or Brentford, or Aston Villa, Crystal Palace.
‘The games that now we have. Bournemouth away. Last week they won in Emirates and Newcastle. It’s going to be harder.’
Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, gave an emphatic answer when asked if he still retained hope his side can reverse their current slide and end their campaign with a bang.
He said: ‘100%. I said to the boys now we have to look within the mirror and the team we played within the moment, the history they’ve, to come back back from a goal down.
‘There’s lots of things to take. The difference was in each boxes that’s needless to say.
‘At the top it’s the result we got here to overcome. We did lots of things right to take the sport where we wanted.
‘We had the very best possibilities in the sport but we didn’t put them away and that’s the fact.’
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