"The quality is unbelievable, I rate them" - Premier League striker chooses between Arsenal and Manchester City for the Premier League title
West Ham United forward Michail Antonio has wished for Arsenal to win the Premier League title ahead of Manchester City this season.
The two English outfits have been engaged in a heated title race this term, with the Gunners dominating the No.1 spot for the majority of the campaign. However, Mikel Arteta's side have suffered costly back-to-back draws in the English top tier recently, dropping important points.
Arsenal locked horns with Liverpool at Anfield on 9 April and started the match in emphatic fashion. The north London outfit went 2-0 up within the first half-hour. However, they bottled the win after goals from Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.
The Gunners endured a similar fate against the Hammers last weekend, scoring two goals within the first 10 minutes of the match and subsequently conceding two as well.
Antonio spoke about the encounter on The Footballer's Football podcast. He said (as quoted by The Boot Room):
“You saw it with the first goal, even with the second – you saw [Martin] Odegaard running far stick – [Bukayo Saka] has run Cress [Aaron Cresswell] in and Odegaard has run off the back of Cress. People are saying that Cress lost his man, he didn’t! He is just there because they are just everywhere."
Stating that he wishes the Gunners would become English champions this term, Antonio added:
"The quality is unbelievable, I rate them. I want them to win the league, I actually do.”
Meanwhile, Manchester City seem to be in stellar form at the moment. The Cityzens have not dropped a single point in the Premier League since February.
The Cityzens are trailing behind the league leaders by only four points in second place. They have a game in hand as well.
"That could be the decider in the championship" - Arsene Wenger gives his take on Premier League title race between Arsenal and Manchester City
Iconic Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has backed his former club to lift the league title this season for the first time in 19 years. The retired French manager, who coached the legendary Invincibles team that won the league unbeaten in 2004, said on beIN Sports (as quoted by Metro):
"No, no, no (if Man City are favourites). I would say Arsenal still (will win the title). What you want in this position is to have things in your hand. If Arsenal win their games, they win the league, so that’s an ideal position with a few games to go."
Manchester City will face the Gunners at the Etihad on 26 April. This fixture could be pivotal in the title race, according to Wenger, who oversaw the Gunners winning their last title. He added:
"Of course, Man City have an opportunity when they play Arsenal, and that could be the decider in the championship."
Manchester City came out on top in their first encounter with the Gunners at the Emirates on 16 February, winning 3-1. It remains to be seen who will emerge victorious this time around.