Rio Ferdinand argues Man United will have had a 'better season' than Arsenal if Gunners bottle league title to Man City

Rio Ferdinand has explained why he believes Manchester United would have had a “better season” than Arsenal if the Gunners miss out on the Premier League title.

United climbed to third place in the Premier League table after a convincing 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest at City Ground on Sunday.

The Red Devils are three points clear of fourth-place Newcastle, but United are 11 points short of Manchester City and a mammoth 25 points behind Arsenal.

Erik ten Hag lifted his first major silverware as United boss this season after his side’s 2-0 victory over Newcastle in the League Cup final at Wembley in February.

And the United boss could add to his silverware haul with the Red Devils reaching the FA Cup semi-finals and Europa League quarter-finals.

Arsenal dropped vital points in the nail-biting Premier League title race on Sunday after West Ham produced a stunning 2-2 comeback at the London Stadium.

The Gunners are still in control of the title race, but Arsenal only hold a four-point lead over defending champions City, who have a match in hand.

And Mikel Arteta’s men are set to face City in what could be a crucial match in the title race on 26th April at the Etihad.

Ferdinand has now argued that a third-place finish and the League Cup trophy for United would be a better season than Arsenal if the Gunners ‘bottle’ the league title.

However, the United legend went on to admit that he ‘hopes Arsenal win’ the league.

Speaking on his Vibe with Five show on YouTube, Ferdinand said: “If Arsenal don’t win the league and Man United finish third and just the one trophy, they [United] have had a better season.

“If you’re a player, forget fans, and you finish third and win a trophy -- Carabao Cup whatever it is -- and the team above you finish second and win no trophies, who is the happier player?”

Arsenal boss Arteta insisted that his side were “not [under] pressure” from the expectations of the title race after the draw against West Ham.

“When I see a team playing with that flow [at the start of the game], that’s not pressure,” he said.

“At 2-0 we were not under pressure. We just didn’t do what the game required in that moment.

“We could not control what West Ham was proposing [after the first goal]. If you concede two or three goals away from home, it is very difficult to win football matches.

“We have to blame ourselves with how we played in our boxes.”

READ MORE:

• Rio Ferdinand reveals what he’s ‘heard’ about Mikel Arteta and Arsenal
• Rio Ferdinand refuses to disrespect Real Madrid in front of BT Sport cameras
• Rio Ferdinand hits back at Jamie Carragher over Nemanja Vidic claim

Topics: Rio Ferdinand, Manchester United, Arsenal, Premier League, England, Football

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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