Gary Neville 'absolutely convinced' on Arsenal and Man City title race winner with danger claim

View 3 Images

Gary Neville is backing Arsenal to clinch the Premier League title this season, despite a "wake up moment" in their recent clash with Wolves . The Gunners, who are currently leading the league table, hosted the struggling Midlands team at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

The match was packed with drama, ending in a 2-1 victory for the home side . Sam Johnstone inadvertently gave Arsenal the lead by scoring an own goal, before Tolu Arokodare equalised for Wolves in the 90th minute.

In a twist of fate, Yerson Mosquera scored another own goal for Wolves deep into stoppage time, handing Arsenal all three points and helping them maintain their position at the top of the Premier League. Despite Manchester City hot on their heels, just two points behind thanks to a string of impressive performances, Neville remains convinced that it's Arsenal's year to lift the trophy, reports Football London .

On his Sky Sports podcast , the ex-Manchester United player said: "What a run Aston Villa have been on, but Arsenal and Manchester City look like the two teams who will have a chance to win it - well, they have got a chance to win it. They shouldn't be panicking, Arsenal's camp.

"I think that they've come through a challenging set of fixtures, were a little bit scrappy - well, very scrappy - against Wolves on Saturday evening. I didn't think that was a game of glory for them.

"But they've got to get a balance right between thinking, 'The victory is the most important thing, we've got over the line,' but giving yourself a little bit of a slap around the face and saying, 'Look we can't have too many of those types of performances or we'll end up with a bloody nose.'

"I think it's a little bit of a wake up moment. We're coming into a period where there's a lot of points to play for. City have got [Erling] Haaland , they do have Pep [Guardiola] and they have a few more players who've got real quality and experience of being around the block.

View 3 Images

"So they're probably smelling a little bit of blood and thinking, 'We're on your shoulder, we're coming and we're going to be there in March and we're going to be there in April, can you handle this?'

"If you're going to win your first Premier League title, it's not going to be handed to you on a plate. This has to be Arsenal's year, I'm absolutely convinced of that - there's nothing that is going to let me let them off the hook.

"They've got an incredible squad, they've got stability, I think they're a better team than Manchester City, they've proved that in the first few months of the season. But City are dangerous.

"They're dangerous because they've got that manager who is a prolific winner. They've got a striker who is absolutely world class; he's the player in the league that is absolutely standout, a dream. What a player.

"So they've got really dangerous characteristics and talent and potential to go and cause upset. But I still think it's Arsenal's. This moment was probably going to come. If Arsenal are sat there now, asking themselves the question: Did you think it was going to be a bed of roses? Did you think it was going to be plain sailing?

View 3 Images

"Did you think you were going to just sail home to shore and Pep Guardiola and Manchester City weren't going to have a little bit of a punch at us? No. The reality is you're going to have that.

"And a season of the Premier League is a marathon, so that's that moment. It'll happen a bit more over the next few weeks. They might even lose the lead at one point, they might have to then go back.

"But Arsenal have got to get themselves mentally right for the next four or five months because it's a huge moment for the club. I still think they'll do it, but they've got to make sure they step up."

Next up for the Gunners is a trip to Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday, December 20 to take on David Moyes ' Everton , followed by an EFL Cup quarter-final showdown with Crystal Palace two days before Christmas . The crunch clash with City won't arrive until April 2026, in what could turn out to be a genuine six-pointer in the Premier League title race.

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.