Gary Neville risks angering Arsenal fans by claiming Chelsea are superior in one key area

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville risks angering Arsenal fans after claiming Chelsea are superior in one key area.

Arsenal have carved out a six-point lead over second-placed Manchester City, although Pep Guardiola's side do have a game in hand over their title rivals.

The Gunners dropped points for the first time in seven league matches against Liverpool, drawing 2-2 in a thrilling contest at Anfield.

The result has left the door open for City to close the gap, with every point crucial from here until the end of the season.

A huge proportion of the Gunners' success this season can be attributed to the midfield trio of Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka and Martin Odegaard, with Mikel Arteta's side losing just one match when all three have started together this term.

However, Neville, who has had his fair share of run-ins with Arsenal supporters this season, reckons Chelsea have better options in the department.

What did he say?

Speaking on the latest episode of the Overlap on YouTube, the Sky Sports pundit labelled Chelsea's midfield three of N'Golo Kante, Enzo Fernandez and Mateo Kovacic the league's second best midfield behind Manchester City's.

Neville said: "I thought the midfield three of Fernandez, Kovacic and I've forgotten the other one now, Kante.

"I thought that behind City's of Rodri, [Kevin]Kevin) De Bruyne and [Ilkay] Gundogan, they were probably the best midfield I've seen all season as a three, they were fantastic as a three [against Liverpool]."

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The Blues have endured a torturous campaign, after slipping to 11th place in the table, some 34 points behind league leaders Arsenal.

Meanwhile, their Champions League hopes took a significant hit after Real Madrid won 2-0 on Wednesday, leaving Chelsea with an uphill battle Stamford Bridge.

Topics: Gary Neville, Arsenal, Chelsea, Premier League, Football

Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

@joeadamsjourno