Arsenal picked up a very important win in the Premier League this weekend and the Gunners are now very much the favourites to finish in the top four.
The North London side beat Aston Villa 1-0 and with the three points, they have consolidated their position on the table. Bukayo Saka has admitted that they are now earnestly thinking about Champions League qualification but they have to stay grounded if they wish to secure the fourth spot.
“To win today was big. To get the result and three points makes us really happy,” Saka told BT Sport, as quoted. “We started very well. The early goal helped us get into the game, but we need to start finishing games to prevent things from getting too nervy.
“The goal set us up; we created a few chances before and after, but that goal put us in the driving seat.
“The Champions League is the goal, but we’ve got to stay humble.”
Will Arsenal manage to stay ahead of the pack or will the others catch up?
Arsenal have a four-point advantage ahead of Manchester United(the 5th placed team) and they have played one game more than the Red Devils. This means if they can win their game in hand then they will seven points ahead and this much difference might be enough to secure a UCL spot.
Spurs have also played the same number of games as Arsenal and right now they are six points behind their North London rivals. Conte’s side still have a realistic chance of catching up but the Lilywhites’ form has been really dodgy this season so it’s very hard to predict just how much of a challenge will they be.
Man United and West Ham United should not lose hope, especially since we think the Gunners will drop points in the coming weeks.
Arsenal still have to face teams like Man United, West Ham United and Chelsea and the result of all these matches will have serious impacts on the Premier League top-four race. The Gunners are performing well purely on the basis of their confidence and once that starts stuttering, the results will also not go their way.
As things stand now Arsenal and Spurs are expected to fight it out for the remaining months but both these sides have very limited options off the bench so fatigue will be a major for both these teams. Only a handful of injuries can turn their season on their heads.
There’s no way Arsenal will be able to win all of their remaining games so all the other contenders have a big chance at reclaiming the fourth spot but for that to happen all these teams will have to make sure they win their respective matches and then hope for the best.
Man United and West Ham United especially need to pull up their socks because with each win the Gunners pick up, these two sides will fall further down the pecking order.
