Premier League title race: Ex-Arsenal star delivers bottling verdict as "unthinkable” Man City leapfrog Mikel Arteta

Former Arsenal and Manchester City guardant Paul Dickov has rejected the Gunners' bottling tag and lavished praise connected City's ruthlessness.

The Premier League rubric contention took a important twist, with Man City's 2-1 triumph astatine the Etihad against Mikel Arteta's Londoners past weekend, arsenic good arsenic their triumph against Burnley connected Wednesday, seeing them leapfrog the Gunners into archetypal spot owed to goals scored.

Many fans and pundits person accused Arsenal of being "bottlers", arguing that they person yet again thrown distant the rubric contempt antecedently being successful an advantageous position.

Dickov powerfully pushed backmost against that sentiment, exclusively telling Sports Mole: "Rather than calling Arsenal bottlers, I would similar to look astatine Man City arsenic serial winners, and spot it much arsenic City ne'er giving up.

"If you look backmost to adjacent a fewer weeks ago, it would person been unthinkable that City would person been backmost successful the rubric race, but they’ve conscionable kept going and going and going."

"I don’t deliberation [bottling] is fair. Arsenal person done fantastically well, and I deliberation 'bottlers' is simply a spot harsh. It’s truly hard if you’ve been successful their presumption for the past 3 years and inactive not won it, to past person Man City breathing down your cervix again."

A second-placed decorativeness this play would beryllium Arsenal's 4th successful a row, and losing retired connected the rubric would nary uncertainty beryllium origin for alarm fixed they had a nine-point pb implicit City heading into the March planetary break.

How person Manchester City fought backmost to the apical of the Premier League?

Man City person won six of the past 8 titles connected offer, and portion the nine person had to flooded a important points shortage this season, possibly observers were excessively speedy to constitute them off.

Pep Guardiola's squad are presently unbeaten successful 11 Premier League games, winning 8 of those matches, and they person triumphed successful each of their past 5 fixtures successful each competitions.

Dickov expressed his presumption that City built assurance with a fig of high-profile victories astatine a important signifier of the campaign, erstwhile helium told Sports Mole: "They bushed Arsenal successful the Carabao Cup, bushed Liverpool successful the FA Cup and bushed Chelsea distant successful the league.

"I thought astatine the clip [the Chelsea game] would person been the trickiest crippled they had. They past evidently went connected to bushed Arsenal successful the league present arsenic well. I don’t deliberation there’s a mentality occupation with Arsenal, I conscionable deliberation Man City are better."

Arsenal person lone taken 8 points from a imaginable 24 against the remainder of the teams presently successful the apical five, whereas City person taken 13 points from 21 against the existent apical five.

Injuries: Has Mikel Arteta been unlucky compared to Pep Guardiola?

Arteta has been incapable to tract talisman Bukayo Saka since March 22 successful the EFL Cup final, and his lack astatine the Etihad should not beryllium overlooked.

Other players specified arsenic Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori person besides picked up problems successful caller weeks, and the squad has looked weaker than City's up of the last agelong of the season.

Speaking exclusively to Sports Mole, Dickov insisted that Arsenal's squad has been deed by injuries astatine the incorrect time, saying: "Injuries for Arsenal person travel astatine the incorrect time, and to immoderate large players. Both full-backs - Timber and Calafiori - and some being retired astatine the aforesaid clip has been a immense blow.

"Players similar Gabriel Jesus person been successful and out. Bukayo Saka, who radical accidental isn’t having the champion season, but successful presumption of power successful the team, he’s 1 of the biggest players Arsenal person got.

"You request each these small things astatine the concern extremity of the play to spell your way. City are getting each their players backmost astatine the close time, Arsenal are hitting injuries, and it’s a small spot much unlucky than it is really bottling it."

Saka should beryllium acceptable for his side's clash with Newcastle United connected Saturday, but it remains to beryllium seen if helium volition beryllium astatine his champion aft a lengthy layoff.

Paul Dickov was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of MrQ.