England legend, Gary Lineker has expressed his support for Arsenal to secure their first Premier League title in 22 years, despite their recent 2-1 defeat against Manchester City.
Earlier this Sunday, the Gunners experienced their fourth loss in six matches across all competitions at the Etihad Stadium.
Rayan Cherki opened the scoring in the 16th minute, followed by Kai Havertz’s equalizer just two minutes later.
Erling Haaland’s goal in the 65th minute ultimately proved to be the decisive factor between the two footballing powerhouses.
Following their loss to Pep Guardiola’s team, Arsenal remain at the top of the Premier League table with 70 points from 33 matches.
Conversely, Manchester City is in second place with 67 points from 32 games and could potentially overtake the Gunners after their match against Burnley on Wednesday (April 22).
In a discussion on The Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker shared his thoughts on Mikel Arteta’s team and their ongoing effort to end their Premier League title drought.
The former Tottenham Hotspur striker said, “It’s not impossible that it’ll come down to goal difference, and it is extremely close. It’s exciting for the neutral fans because you want it to be as competitive as possible right until the end, so in that regard, it was positive.
“I do feel a bit for Arsenal; they are experiencing some challenges, but they are still in the semi-finals of the Champions League, and they have a lot to fight for; they can still clinch the Premier League title.”
The 1986 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winner further stated, “Many will say, ‘Arsenal have choked,’ but this season could still be memorable for them. I’m not going to join the narrative that they will squander it; it’s too early to make that claim.
“They did demonstrate resilience, even though the outcome was not in their favor; things could have turned out differently.”
Arteta’s squad is set to face Newcastle United in the league on Saturday before competing against Atletico Madrid in a UEFA Champions League match on April 29.