"Only 2 teams who are going to fight for the Premier League" - Conte makes Arsenal title prediction after losing North London derby

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte believes the 2022-23 Premier League title race is just between Arsenal and Manchester City. Conte's comments came after last night's north London derby that saw the Gunners defeat their arch-rivals 2-0 to take an eight-point lead at the top of the league table.

City, meanwhile, remain in second spot, just one point ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle United, with the latter having played an extra game.

Conte's comments come as a surprise as a large chunk of the league season is yet to be played and anybody can still win the title.

"Arsenal showed they are a really good team and I think honestly I’m sure that today it wasn’t easy for them to play against us, especially with this atmosphere," Conte told Sky Sports after the match.

"They have a great balance and hit the right moments. In the second half they suffered a lot and showed their resilience and when a team can do this it means they are ready to fight for a title. I think with Manchester City they are the only two teams who are going to fight for the Premier League this season."

Arsenal came into the match fully aware that a defeat could open up the title race with both Manchester United and Newcastle having a huge say in it as well. However, they continued in the same vein, easily overpowering Spurs.

Hugo Lloris' own goal from a Bukayo Saka cross and a Martin Odegaard long-ranger were enough to see Mikel Arteta's men through.

Are Arsenal outright favorites to win the Premier League title after Tottenham win?

Considering the Gunners went into the Spurs encounter five points ahead of second-placed City, winning the encounter was paramount to further increase the gap. Moreover, the Red Devils' recent form has put them in the mix as well.

But Arsenal produced a clinical display and gave Conte's men no chance to get back into the game. They moved to 47 points after 18 matches, eight points more than City, who have 39 in the same number of games.

Newcastle are currently third with 38 points but have played one more game than the rest of the top four, with Manchester United on 38 points after 18 games as well.

At this point, stating Arsenal are 'outright favorites' would not be logical since the majority of the season remains to be played and strange things have happened in football. However, with an eight-point lead at the top, the Premier League title is for Mikel Arteta's side to lose.