"Luck is on their side" - Michael Owen makes clear Premier League winner choice as Liverpool lead Arsenal and Manchester City in title race
Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen has backed Arsenal to win the Premier League this season despite the Merseyside giants leading the table. Arne Slot's side had an excellent weekend in the Premier League as they rose to the top of the table.
Liverpool secured a 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, September 28, courtesy of goals from Ibrahima Konate and Mohamed Salah.
Meanwhile, Manchester City dropped points in their 1-1 draw against Newcastle United as Arsenal won 4-2 against Leicester City. The Reds now sit at the top of the league a point ahead of the Cityzens (second) and the Gunners (third).
Liverpool have been in excellent form under Slot, apart from a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest. However, Owen has snubbed his former club while naming his title winners for this season.
He said (via TBR Football):
“I personally think Arsenal are going to win the league this year. Yeah, I do. I think they are going to win it. But they have had a couple of lucky calls. I don’t know why, the last game against Manchester City, I know there was a lot of hot air and words spoken from Arsenal’s point of view."
The former Real Madrid striker added:
"But actually, they got lucky in that game with the referee blowing the whistle before and the free-kick getting taken early. That could have been a different game there. Luck is on their side, at the moment, but I still think they are a very good team and I think they could go on to win it this year.”
Owen represented Liverpool 297 times, scoring 158 goals and providing 49 assists. The Englishman won the Ballon d'Or in 2001 while playing for the Reds.
"They're well below Arsenal and City" - Gary Neville claims Liverpool 'didn't look like title winners' against Wolves
Gary Neville claimed that Liverpool didn't seem like title winners against Wolves despite securing all three points. The former Manchester United defender believes the Merseysiders are not at Arsenal and Manchester City's level under Slot.
Neville acknowledged that Liverpool will have a productive season and finish in the top four. However, he feels the Reds will not challenge for the title against the Gunners and the Cityzens.
Neville said on Sky Sports:
"They're going to have a good season it looks like and maybe get Champions League football. I didn't feel like I was watching title winners [at Wolves] being honest with you. They're well below Arsenal and City but I don't think that's shocking anybody."
The Gunners and Manchester City will face Paris Saint-Germain and Slovan Bratislava, respectively, in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, October 1, while Liverpool take on Bologna the following day.