Roy Keane has declared the title race ‘over’ after Arsenal tightened their grip on the Premier League trophy.
Mikel Arteta’s side emerged from a potentially defining week in their season not only unscathed but in fine shape.
Premier League fixtures against London rivals Tottenham and Chelsea and a Champions League clash with Bayern Munich threatened to trouble the Gunners despite their sensational start to the season.
But Arsenal thumped Spurs 4-1 before also beating Bundesliga champions Bayern. A 1-1 draw with Chelsea was not the perfect outcome – especially after Moises Caicedo’s red card – but a satisfactory result given the Blues’ impressive form under Enzo Maresca.
Arsenal’s brilliant title charge continued on Wednesday night as the north London side beat Brentford 2-0 thanks to goals from Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka.
The win restored Arsenal’s five-point lead at the top of the Premier League after second-placed Manchester City survived a major scare to beat Fulham 5-4.
By beating the dangerous Brentford, Arsenal also pulled nine points ahead of Chelsea, who suffered a shock 3-1 defeat to relegation-battlers Leeds United.
Arsenal’s mettle will once again be tested this weekend when Arteta’s team face third-placed Aston Villa and their former manager Unai Emery.
But Keane, a seven-time Premier League winner with Manchester United, has sensationally claimed the title race is already ‘over’.
Addressing Arsenal legend Ian Wright, Gary Neville, Keane’s former United teammate, said on The Overlap: ‘Your lot have got to win it. You’ve got to win the league this season.’
Keane then said confidently: ‘The league is over. It’s over. The league is over.’
Jamie Carragher has repeatedly backed Arsenal to end their 22-year wait for a Premier League title but issued a word of warning about Man City.
City, who won four successive league titles under Pep Guardiola, conceded six goals in their last two games against Leeds United and Fulham but still clinched two crucial wins.
Barring a superb 3-0 win over struggling reigning champions Liverpool, Manchester City have not been at their scintillating best this season but remain within touching distance of Arsenal.
‘Your lot [Arsenal] have been so much better than everyone else,’ Carragher said. ‘But Man City are still there, aren’t they?
‘They haven’t even played that well but they’re still close. There’s a long way to go.’
While Keane fully expects Arsenal to go on to win the Premier League, others expect Man City to make up ground in the second-half of the season.
‘I think Man City will catch Arsenal,’ former Premier League goalkeeper Brad Friedel told talkSPORT this week. ‘Arsenal are the best team right now, I think they play the best football.
‘But I think when it gets to March and April and they’re still going in Europe and the FA Cup if they get one or two of the wrong injuries.
‘Man City has already fallen down they’re on the mend they’ve had their psychological dip and I think they’re going to start coming up.’