October 6th 2024.
The Emirates Stadium was buzzing with excitement as Arsenal staged an impressive comeback to secure a 3-1 win over Southampton. Former Manchester United player Gary Neville praised the Gunners for their performance and issued a warning to the team to stay on their toes and not let Manchester City take the lead in the Premier League standings.
The game started off with a shock as Southampton's Cameron Archer scored a goal, leaving the home crowd stunned. But Arsenal quickly responded with an equalizer from Kai Havertz, followed by impressive goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka. This win leaves Arsenal in third place, only one point behind leaders Liverpool and City.
Neville couldn't help but draw comparisons to last season, where City held a one-point lead over Liverpool at this stage. He pointed out that City will be looking to reclaim the top spot when they face Wolves after the international break. "I said before the game that Arsenal and City needed to get the job done today, and they did," Neville commented during his analysis on NBC Sports.
He did, however, acknowledge that City had a tough time against Fulham, who managed to score twice. "For City, other clubs will look at that and see that Fulham managed to get through their defense," he added. On the other hand, Southampton manager Russell Martin had previously criticized Arsenal for being "soft" and lacking "fight and spirit," but Neville believes that their performance in this game may have changed his mind.
The former right-back emphasized the importance of this win for Arsenal going into the international break. "They put up a real show for large parts of the game, but they got there in the end," he said. Neville also stressed that Arsenal cannot afford to fall behind in the title race, especially with the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool setting a high standard.
"It's mind-blowing to me," Neville expressed, "When Mourinho came to Chelsea in the mid-2000s, he changed the game. Before that, we used to think we could take our time and hit our stride later in the season, but Mourinho's team started off so strongly that it became crucial to keep up with them." He believes the same applies to Guardiola's City now, and teams like Arsenal must stay on top of their game from the very beginning.
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