Shearer makes fresh Premier League title prediction after Arsenal lose to Man City | OneFootball

Alan Shearer thinks Man City will now push on to claim the Premier League title after their 2-1 win over Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

The Gunners put in a much-improved performance in comparison to recent displays but they were still unable to get a result against title rivals Man City.

Kai Havertz cancelled out Rayan Cherki’s brilliant opener by pouncing on a Gianluigi Donnarumma mistake on 18 minutes.

Arsenal were punished for not taking their chances when Erling Haaland swept home on 65 minutes to give Man City all three points.

The win has changed the momentum of the Premier League title race with Man City set to go top of the league on Wednesday if they beat Burnley at Turf Moor.

Reflecting on the result and performance of Arsenal, Shearer told NBC Sports: “Where’s that [spirit] been for the last five or six weeks? That’s the big question.

“Yes, they were much better in terms of energy, playing more on the front foot, creating chances, and they were much better than they have been, but they just fell short.

“They had their chances and they didn’t take them. There was a great chance in the last minute for Kai Havertz, with a wonderful ball in, and he has to score that goal.

“That’s been the difference today unfortunately for Arsenal.”

When asked whether Man City will now pip Arsenal to the Premier League title, Shearer responded: “Yeah, I always felt that if City won this game, with the form they’re in, with the experience that they have and the momentum they’ve got, I do believe they’ll now go on and win it.

“It just feels like that. Looking at Erling Haaland, looking at their fans in the stadium and listening to it, you get that feeling that that’s exactly how they’re feeling as well.”

Shearer continued: “I thought their opportunity was last week against Bournemouth, particularly after winning in Sporting, I thought the momentum from that would have carried them on.

“But it was such a weak, limp performance against Bournemouth and it’s very, very difficult, at whatever level of football you’re playing, to flick a switch and go again.

“You can’t just do that, you need momentum. And there’s one team with momentum at the minute and that’s Manchester City.”

Reacting to their defeat, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta told reporters: “It’s a really disappointing result, and the manner that it happened. We had a really strong performance, got so much into the game, we came back from a goal down.

“Emotionally, we handled the game so well, and had the game where we wanted it. We had the best chances of the game, didn’t put them away, and that was the difference.”

When asked if the missed chances were frustrating or had given him hope moving forward, Arteta replied: “A bit of both, because we created big situations against a team that concedes very little, and we’ve gone into it the right way. But at the end, to win or not win is about moments, and when they had moments, they put them in the back of the net and that was the difference.”