Gary Neville has walked back his earlier prediction that Arsenal are set to claim the Premier League this season in the wake of the Gunners’ 2-2 draw to serial winners Manchester City on Sunday.
At the start of the campaign, the former Manchester United defender had tipped Mikel Arteta’s side to make good on their promise of the two seasons prior, which saw them fall agonisingly short by the final day of the season.
In a bid to seal their first win at the Etihad under Arteta, the Gunners were forced into heavy defensive duty to protect their 2-1 lead with just 10 men after Leandro Trossard’s sending-off minutes into the second-half.
But although close to pulling off what could prove a critical win in this season’s title race, the travellers were thwarted by John Stones, who netted deep into injury time to leave hand both sides a point.
In the wake of the draw in Manchester, Neville found that he was forced to reassess his predictions, largely due to the years of dominance Manchester City has enjoyed under Pep Guardiola.
Arsenal were disappointed at the last when they travelled to face Manchester City on Sunday
John Stones (centre) was able to sneak the latest of equalisers past David Raya to win the point
Gary Neville has suggested that the draw has sown some doubt into his lofty predictions for the north London side
‘I backed Arsenal at the start of the season because I just felt as though when a team’s hunting you down, eventually they get there, more often than not, when they’re getting closer and closer,’ Neville shared on The Gary Neville Podcast on Sunday.
‘Today felt like a monumental, defining moment in this journey that Arsenal are on, of trying to get to a league title.
Two seasons ago they quite simply fell apart in the last 10 games, last season they went so close, and then you think, “right, okay, they’re learning, they’re maturing.”
‘You just think, where will we be in April and May with this game?
‘Will we be going back to that final minute, and what happened with the John Stones goal, will we be thinking that City win the title by one point, and that moment determines it?
‘It’s ridiculous, because there will be dropped points, and there will be mistakes, and there will be lots of victories before the end of the season, but it is that type of situation when you’re up against Pep Guardiola, he makes you feel that way.’
Arsenal were able to claim a 2-1 lead going into the second-half but also lost a player
Mikel Arteta (left) has long sought to get the better of his former boss Pep Guardiola (right)
Despite claiming a point rather than heading home empty-handed, Manchester City players were also somewhat unsettled by Arsenal’s showing on the road.
Bernardo Silva took aim at the ‘dark arts’ on display by Arteta’s men as they battled to cling on to their second-half lead.
In a thoroughly defensive final 45 minutes, Arsenal registered zero shots at goal to their opponents’ 24 as the reduced side threw everything at getting away with the win.
In the dying minutes of the game, players resorted to time-wasting tactics and rough-housing in a bid to further disrupt City’s game plan.
‘There was only one team that came to play football,’ said a critical Silva after the final whistle.
‘The other came to play to the limits of what it was possible to do and allowed by the referee (Michael Oliver), unfortunately.
Guardiola noted the remarkable number of Arsenal players who went down with cramp as the visitors looked to hold onto their lead
‘We’re not happy as we wanted the three points, but I’m happy with the way we came to play. I’m glad we always enter the pitch to try to win every match. It all started in the very first seconds.’
Guardiola was also lightly critical in his post-match remarks, sharing that he didn’t ‘know how many (Arsenal) players went down with cramp’ in the later stages of the match.
The draw at home lifted Manchester City to the top of the Premier League table after the weekend’s action, a point ahead of Liverpool and Aston Villa in second and third respectively.
Arsenal are now fourth after recording their second stalemate of the season, three points behind their table-topping rivals.