Former England international and Sky Sports pundit Izzy Christiansen made a left-field claim about Arsenal after Manchester City went top of the league with a victory at Burnley – but does she have a point?
Manchester City went top of the Premier League on Wednesday (April 22), with Erling Haaland’s early strike securing all three points against now-relegated Burnley at Turf Moor.
Despite his side being wasteful and missing an array of chances, Pep Guardiola said he was “super happy” with City’s performance and the fact they finally went top for the first time since August.
Meanwhile, the mood at London Colney this morning will likely be far from happy, with Arsenal now preparing for their clash against Newcastle United at the Emirates on April 25.
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The Gunners now have the chance to go six points clear of City with wins against Newcastle and Fulham in the coming weeks, due to Guardiola’s side having an FA Cup semi-final against Southampton to contend with on April 25.
City then return to Premier League action with a trip to Everton on May 4.
And despite Arsenal already dropping a substantial number of points to City, former England star Christiansen claimed that being second could actually play to Mikel Arteta’s side’s advantage.
Speaking on Sky Sports, the former Manchester City midfielder said: “The psychology has changed. Up to now, Manchester City have been chasing Arsenal, but now they are level, we will see how Manchester City adapt – or whether they keep things the same.
“Arsenal might actually want to switch to being the team chasing. It might shift the mentality and be what they need to find that extra piece of motivation.”
Gary Neville also offered his thoughts, suggesting City’s lacklustre performance at Burnley should give Arsenal reason for optimism ahead of the run-in.
“It’s a win for Manchester City – but it’s the best win Arsenal could have hoped for,” Neville said.
“It’s all to play for. Arsenal have a home game against Newcastle on Saturday where they can reassert their three-point lead.
“It didn’t happen for Manchester City tonight. They will have to play better than that or they will drop points.
“But Pep Guardiola knows he had to come away with three points. And he’s done that.”
Topics: Premier League, Arsenal, Manchester City, Football, Gary Neville
Luke Davies