Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Gary Lineker has now taken aim at Arsenal after their 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa.
Arsenal surrendered their advantage in the Premier League title race as they were beaten 2-0 by Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
With Manchester City having won their game on Saturday, the Gunners needed to beat Aston Villa to re-take top spot in the Premier League table and keep the title race in their own hands.
However, as Mikel Arteta’s men were beaten by the Midlands outfit, they now find themselves in a situation where they are relying upon the reigning champions to drop points between now and the end of the campaign to afford them any possibility of ending their 20-year wait for a title triumph.
Are Arsenal out of the title race after Aston Villa loss?
Paul Merson believes that Arsenal’s hopes of winning the league this year are now gone after this result. The odds are certainly now stacked against the North London club.
However, Arteta will still believe that his side can pull off their title mission. There are still six Premier League games to go and anything could yet happen.
It is vital that the supporters now stand behind the team. Arsenal fans were criticised for leaving the Emirates Stadium early on Sunday. The players will need the backing of the crowd more than ever in the coming weeks if they are to bounce back from this blow.
As things stand, though, the Gunners will be fearing a repeat of last season, when their title bid fell apart during the run-in.
Gary Lineker takes swipe at Arsenal
Referencing Arsenal’s late collapse last season, Gary Lineker has now aimed a jibe at the Gunners. Taking to X, the former Spurs star said, “It’s all gone a bit Gunnersy,” in the wake of Aston Villa’s triumph.
Lineker was drawing a comparison with Spurs’ own reputation for falling short at the final hurdle. After all, to be ‘Spursy’ has become an accepted synonym for bottling it when it matters most.
Arsenal fans likely won’t appreciate Lineker’s dig. Though, they may well take a measure of comfort from their bitter local rival’s own misfortune this weekend. Tottenham were battered 4-0 by Newcastle United on Saturday, denting their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.
Arsenal now need to show that they can respond to this setback. They need to bounce back immediately, starting with Wednesday night’s trip to Germany to take on Bayern Munich in the second-leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.