Wayne Rooney delivers shock verdict on Arsenal title race after City blow | OneFootball

Wayne Rooney has made a bold claim about Arsenal’s chances of winning the Premier League title following their bruising 2-1 defeat against rivals Manchester City on Sunday.

Despite the Gunners losing their grip on the top spot, the Manchester United legend remains convinced that Mikel Arteta’s side are still the frontrunners to lift the trophy.

The clash at the Etihad Stadium saw City secure a massive win through Erling Haaland’s clinical 65th-minute strike, after Kai Havertz had earlier cancelled out Rayan Cherki’s stunning opener.

The result means City can move level on points with Arsenal if they win their game in hand against Burnley this Wednesday, leading many to believe the momentum has shifted decisively to Manchester.

Rooney backs Arsenal to still win the Premier League

Speaking on Match of the Day, Rooney offered a surprising perspective, insisting that the race is far from a foregone conclusion.

Despite City’s relentless form, he argued that the pressure of the “final sprint” often leads to unexpected results.

“This title race is not over yet; I still feel like there are some more twists and turns to come,” Rooney told MOTD.

“It is obviously going to be tight, but City have got one more game to try to win, so I still have Arsenal down as slight favorites.”

Rooney drew on his own experience of winning five Premier League titles to explain his reasoning.

“I’ve been in this situation myself, where you need to win all your games for the title. You look at your games and you think, ‘well, we should win this one, or that one,’ but it never pans out that way.”

Can Mikel Arteta handle the pressure?

As the season enters its final five weeks, the focus shifts to the psychological resilience of the two squads.

Arsenal are searching for their first league title in 22 years, while Pep Guardiola’s City are chasing a seventh crown in nine seasons.

For Arteta, the challenge is to prevent a repeat of past collapses which has earned him a reputation of being the ‘bridesmaid’.

Meanwhile, City have been in a similar situation several times over the years and have successfully come on top each time.

With a tough fixture against Newcastle United up next, the Gunners must prove Rooney right by rediscovering the clinical edge that deserted them at the Etihad.