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Arsenal great Paul Merson has claimed that Arsenal will lift the Premier League title after their 3-2 Premier League home victory against Bournemouth on Saturday (March 4).
The Gunners maintained their five-point lead over reigning champions Manchester City with a statement win against the Cherries at the weekend. After Phillip Billing and Marco Senesi put the visitors two goals ahead around the hour mark, Thomas Partey, Ben White and Reiss Nelson bagged one goal apiece to hand their side three points.
Manchester City, on the other hand, had put pressure on Mikel Arteta's side earlier in the day with a 2-0 win over Newcastle United. However, the Gunners responded with their 20th win of the ongoing 2022-23 Premier League campaign to be on 63 points from 26 games.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Merson heaped praise on Arsenal's mentality and backed the club to break their Premier League drought. He said:
"I think they win the league, I really do. They just keep on going and going, they don't know when they're beaten. That's four wins in a row now. They came back from behind against Aston Villa too. I think they've done brilliantly and if they win their next three games, I don't see how they don't win the league."
Sharing his thoughts on the Gunners' recent win, Merson added:
"It was a relentless match. [Bournemouth manager] Gary O'Neil looked devastated at the end but fair play to Arsenal. I was so impressed by them because they dictated the game despite being behind. The early goal shook them but they came back to win it."
Pinpointing Nelson for his injury-time winner, Merson continued:
"At 2-0, you think at best they get a point, but it's a fantastic goal to win it from Nelson. If he plays another 500 games for them, he won't score a better goal. He composed himself and half-volleyed it into the far corner. It's a fantastic goal but I'm not sure Arsenal will want to be doing it like that for the next 12 games."
The Gunners are next scheduled to be in action against Sporting CP in their UEFA Europa League last-16 away leg tie on Thursday (March 9).
Mikel Arteta comments on Arsenal's outing in recent 3-2 PL win against Bournemouth
Speaking at a post-match press conference, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta opined on his team's home win over Bournemouth. He said:
"Everybody is overwhelmed a bit. It was madness from the first minute of the game where we defended so poorly and then you have to climb a mountain. After that the goal was to not lose the shape and try to score the first one. We did that and once we did that the atmosphere and the place changed. We generated a lot of chances. I thought the subs made a huge impact. So happy for Reiss!"
The Gunners are chasing their first Premier League title since 2004.
