October 6th 2024.
Arsenal showed their resilience as they came from behind to secure a crucial 3-1 victory against Southampton at the Emirates Stadium. Former Manchester United player Gary Neville praised the team for their performance, but also issued a warning to Mikel Arteta's side about the importance of not allowing Manchester City to build a lead in the early stages of the season.
The match started off with a twist as Southampton, who are currently struggling at the bottom of the Premier League table, took the lead in the 55th minute through Cameron Archer, silencing the home crowd. However, Arsenal quickly responded with an equalizer from Kai Havertz and went on to secure the win with goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka.
This win puts Arsenal in third place, just one point behind league leaders Liverpool and reigning champions Manchester City. Neville also pointed out that at the same stage last season, City were in Liverpool's position with a one-point lead at the top of the table. However, City will have the chance to reclaim the top spot when they face Wolves after the international break.
Neville, who was commentating for NBC Sports, expressed his thoughts on the match and the title race, saying, "I said before the game about Arsenal and City getting the job done today and they've done just that. But for City, other clubs will look at the fact that Fulham managed to score twice against them."
He also commented on City's performance, stating, "I wasn't sure if City could win the league with [Mateo] Kovacic, but he went and scored two goals. However, they did look a bit open in midfield."
Neville also mentioned Southampton manager Russell Martin's previous comments about Arsenal being "soft" and lacking fight and spirit. He believed that Martin may have changed his mind after seeing Arsenal's strong performance.
In conclusion, Neville stressed the importance for Arsenal to stay in the title race and not fall behind, especially with the likes of City and Liverpool setting a high standard. He compared it to when Jose Mourinho first arrived at Chelsea and set the standard for starting strong in the league. Neville believes that the same applies now with Pep Guardiola's City, and that teams cannot afford to chase from behind if they want to compete for the title.
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