Jose Mourinho’s previous assessment of Arsenal’s title chances may soon be vindicated, as the team’s recent loss to Aston Villa has shifted them from the top spot.
Despite sitting at the summit of the table and appearing poised to clinch their first Premier League title in two decades, Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa has seen them drop to second place, trailing defending champions Manchester City by two points. City, on the other hand, continued their dominant form with a resounding 5-1 victory over Luton, extending their unbeaten streak in all competitions to 27 matches and solidifying their position as favorites for a sixth title in seven seasons.
With six league fixtures remaining against Brighton, Nottingham Forest, Wolves, Fulham, Tottenham, and West Ham, City’s commanding form aligns with Mourinho’s earlier prediction, made on The Obi One podcast back in January, where he confidently ruled Arsenal out of contention for the title.
Jose Mourinho rules out Arsenal from title race
“Man City 51 per cent and Liverpool 49 per cent.” Asked about Arsenal he simply replied: “Nah!”
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/3MiAvAvQ7R
— 🇵🇸 (@Plutoooooooooo_) April 14, 2024
Following a 1-0 defeat at Anfield by Crystal Palace, Liverpool, like Arsenal, suffered a significant setback to their title aspirations on Sunday. Jurgen Klopp’s team currently sits in third place, trailing Arsenal on goal difference and lagging two points behind City.
Arteta remains resolute despite Arsenal’s setback
Arteta responded with a rallying call after Arsenal’s hopes of winning the league took a blow from second-half goals by Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins. When questioned about the possibility of Arsenal’s season losing momentum after the defeat, he remarked, “If one result is going to do that then we are not strong enough. That’s very simple.
“We had one of the best performances that we’ve had all season in the first half against a really good team. It should have been three or four or more. It didn’t happen. In the second half the momentum shifted. We could not control and generate what we did in the first half. We conceded two very poor goals and we lost the game.
“Congratulate the opponent and stand up. Now the moment is to stand up and be counted. When you win and win and win for four months it’s very simple to do it. The moment to do it is now.”
Meanwhile, Sports Buddy reported in previous news that Arsenal’s title hopes took a major blow with a disappointing 2-0 loss to Aston Villa at the Emirates. Despite playing the full 90 minutes, Bukayo Saka’s performance was met with criticism from fans, with some mocking his limping after a lackluster display dubbed a “stinker.”
