Despite the inspired comeback, the point does not do much good for Arsenal in the big picture, says former Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher.
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Arsenal brilliantly rallied back from a two-goal deficit to secure an unlikely point against a struggling Southampton side in the Premier League. The Gunners were expected to defeat them with relative ease considering where both teams are in the league table. However, things did not go according to play for the home side. The visitors did impressively well to stay ahead for majority of the game and also held a 3-1 lead at one point. However, a late fight back saw the hosts gain a valuable point at the Emirates Stadium.
Despite the inspired comeback, the point does not do much good for Arsenal in the big picture, says former Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher. It helps second-placed Manchester City more in the Premier League title race. With both City and Arsenal set to battle each other out on Wednesday at the Etihad Stadium, supporters can expect to see a thrilling end to the campaign. “Whether the point makes that much difference to Arsenal, I’m not quite sure. They’ve probably got to go to Man City and get three points if they want to go on and win the league,” Carragher said on Sky Sports.
“It is still in Arsenal’s hands, and we keep saying it, and it just shows you how far ahead they were. They’ve dropped six points in the last three games, and it is still in their hands. They did have a really sizeable lead, but they are going to have to do something miraculous now between now and the end of the season. But we’ve seen them go on runs before, certainly on the back of losing to Man City at Emirates Stadium. That was a big disappointment, but they went on to win the next seven games. They’ve got six games to go now, and they will have to go and do something special between now and the end of the season to win it.”
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Carragher also believes that the match against Southampton did not go according to plan for Arsenal despite their favourites tag. “The way the game went against Southampton was exactly what Arsenal didn’t want. There were mistakes, it was emotional, and the game was end-to-end. They just wanted to win the game and 2-0 or 3-0 against Southampton, who are bottom of the league. Most people expected them to do that but when you go a goal down after 30 seconds it becomes a game they didn’t want,” he explained.
With the lead at the top of the table being drastically cut down, many pundits and supporters feel that Arsenal must beat Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday to have a chance of winning the Premier League title. However, Carragher does not agree with the notion and believes a draw could also do good for the Gunners. “Of course, Arsenal will go there and want to win the game and they will try to win the game,” he explained. “If they do draw the game, what is Mikel Arteta going to say at the end of the game?
“Man City will still have tough games. They have got to go away to Brighton and to Everton, they will not be easy games. Of course, Arsenal have other tough games but what I don’t think Arsenal should do is, if that game is in the balance with 20 minutes to go, they shouldn’t do something stupid in terms of thinking they have to win the game. They want to win the game, but don’t lose it. If they lose the game, it is over, it’s finished. A draw is not the end of the world going to Man City. You have to keep it going as long as it can possibly go.”
