Wayne Rooney insists Manchester City’s comeback win over Liverpool was ‘huge’ for Pep Guardiola’s side and ‘deflating’ for Premier League title rivals Arsenal.
Man City seemed to be slipping nine points adrift of leaders Arsenal as they trailed Liverpool at Anfield following Dominik Szoboszlai’s stunning free-kick.
Arsenal continued their title charge on Saturday, beating Sunderland 3-0, and were ten minutes away from boasting an enormous lead within the title race.
But Man City scored two late goals, Bernardo Silva with the equaliser and Erling Haaland with an injury-time winner, to supply an incredible comeback and keep Arsenal’s result in a still healthy but not insurmountable six points.
Rooney has urged the Arsenal players to ‘deal with themselves’ after a ‘deflating’ Manchester City win at Anfield as they bid to secure the club’s first Premier League title since 2004.
‘It’s a vital one for Manchester City today,’ Rooney said on BBC’s Match of the Day. ‘It’s a troublesome place to go Anfield.
‘I believed Liverpool were really good second half, City were really good first half – then City have gone a goal down and dug in to get the three points.
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‘In the event that they slipped nine points adrift of Arsenal it could have been very difficult for them to win the league. But the arrogance and belief that may give them is big.
‘Arsenal can only deal with themselves. I’m sure they’ll have had an eye fixed on the sport, because if City lose, it does turn into difficult for them. But Arsenal just need to deal with doing their very own job.
‘Having been there it’s very difficult to do this since the Arsenal players would have been watching that game at home and considering Man City are slipping up here.
‘It would have been deflating and you may waste plenty of energy hoping your rival are going to slide up.’
Rooney, who won five Premier Leagues at Manchester United, also believes Haaland’s return to form shall be a ‘scary’ prospect for Arsenal.
Haaland scored a staggering 38 goals throughout the first-half of the season but had not netted within the Premier League in a month before his winner against Liverpool.
‘I believed it was a little bit of a wierd performance from Erling Haaland, a performance I’ve never really seen from him,’ Rooney added.
‘Normally it’s about his power and pace and being ruthless in front of goal, but he was a bit deeper today and was attempting to create possibilities for Man City quite than rating them.
‘Then he creates the equaliser and scores the really high-pressure penalty which keeps them within the title race really.
‘It’s his first goal at Anfield for Man City and you would see the relief in his face. The boldness that may give him now shall be scary for Arsenal in the subsequent few weeks.
‘I feel it’s been a confidence issue with Haaland because irrespective of what level you’re playing at if you’re not scoring week in week out it does get to you.
‘Perhaps it was attending to him a bit but that goal will raise his confidence levels again.’
Manchester City can cut Arsenal’s gap at the highest of the Premier League to only three points once they face Fulham on Wednesday night.
League leaders and title favourites Arsenal return to motion the next evening against London rivals Brentford.
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