Arsenal have reached ‘boiling point’ in the title race, but who is starting to ‘rumbly’? Martin Keown rates Premier League challengers

That’s the view of Martin Keown, who says his former team has reached a “boiling point” in the race and suggests they could finally get a big win this season after three successive second-place finishes.

Arsenal are top of the table after 12 games and although it is still early days, Mikel Arteta’s side are in excellent form and have lost only one game since the start of the season, but have won six of their last seven games and are now six points clear of second-placed Chelsea.

Speaking exclusively to TNT Sports, Keown, who played for three title-winning teams as a North London player, urged current players to love and enjoy the experience of chasing prize money.

“Love it, don’t be afraid of it, embrace it,” he advised. “You’ve been playing for years to be in this position.

“You have to enjoy it. Don’t worry about how big it is. Just enjoy it.”

“It looks to me like they’ve reached a boiling point, they just have to keep it going.

“Now just prepare for every game, do what you have to do, keep your routine the same and keep winning games.”

Chelsea’s youngsters may not be feeling the pressure

Next up for the league leaders is a trip across London to take on current closest challengers Chelsea in the weekend’s big draw.

The average age of this season’s starting XI is rated as the youngest in the Premier League, and Keown believes this could be a factor in how they approach their title challenge.

“Look at Chelsea,” he said. “They are Club World Cup champions. They didn’t become that by accident.

“Maybe you could say they’re a little bit…younger in the group. But sometimes when you’re young you don’t feel the pressure.”

Premier League 2025/26 – Average age of starting members (as of November 28, 2025)

Chelsea 24 years, 169 days Brentford 25 years, 67 days Manchester City 25 years, 166d Bournemouth 25 years, 190d Sunderland 25 years, 259d Brighton & Hove Albion 25 years, 262d Tottenham Hotspur 25 years, 277d Arsenal 26 years, 166d Nottingham Forest 26 years, 181d Crystal Palace 26 years, 238d Manchester United 26y, 246d Liverpool 26y, 276d Wolverhampton Wanderers 26y, 283d Leeds United 26y, 286d West Ham United 27y, 10d Burnley 27y, 191d Newcastle United 28y, 17d Fulham 28y, 21d Aston Villa 28y, 147d Everton 28y, 230d

Via Opta.

“We’ll see how they do over the weekend,” Keown added, warning: “They’ll have another day off, right?”

‘Shining star’ – Estevao scores Chelsea’s ‘amazing’ second goal in Barça rout

Video credit: TNT Sports

City are starting to ‘roll out’ but team depth is ‘question mark’

Manchester City, currently in third place, remain a team that no one can exclude from the race, with Erling Haaland in particular topping the Premier League scoring charts with 14 goals already this season, leaving them five goals behind their nearest challengers.

“I think Pep has had a lot of good nights in the Champions League, but[Leverkusen]weren’t one of those players, right? He looked after the players. He cares about the players,” Keown said.

“They were also in the Club World Cup. These players are not resting. But the bigger picture is, can some of them replace what he has because we want them to step up? That’s going to be a question mark for them now.”

“I don’t think they’re far from what they were before, but they’re probably a different group of players now.

He added: “City are starting to get a bit throaty. I think Phil Foden has been given the keys, but without playing Haaland and Foden and all these big players, it looks like they don’t have a second shelf to choose from, so that could hurt City going forward.”

Highlights: Inspired Leverkusen take advantage of Man City’s changes to achieve shock win

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Liverpool need to win every game

It seems strange that Liverpool have not been featured in conversations about where the title will go, but given their recent poor run in the league, losing six of their last seven games, defending their crown looks like a distant dream.

Liverpool currently sit in 12th place, 11 points off the top of the table, and surprisingly just seven points above the relegation zone.

“Well, there’s a good chance they have to win every game between now and the end of the season,” Keown said, effectively eliminating them from the race.

Villa is leaning towards “push”

Among the potential outsiders, Keown singled out another former side, Aston Villa, who he believes could benefit from missing out on last season’s Champions League.

Villa were fourth in the table with 21 points at the start of the weekend, eight behind leaders Arsenal.

“I think after 12 games we’re starting to see who can do what,” Keown said. “I think Aston Villa were interesting.

“They got off to a very bad start but now they find themselves in the top four. Maybe they can push a little more.”

“Not being in the Champions League gives them a bit of a break,” Keown added.

Highlights: Malen scores twice as Villa beat Young Boys

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The key to striker fitness that will make gunners’ wishes come true

Keown still believes Arsenal are still the strongest team in the division and has been impressed with the team’s continued form, particularly despite a number of key injuries.

Keown praised Arteta for being able to adapt without a recognized striker, especially after Kai Havertz was sidelined at the start of the season and summer signing Victor Gyokeres has been absent since the beginning of November.

However, he cautioned that keeping key players healthy is key to achieving this year’s ambitions.

“I don’t think Arsenal are going to lose their form,” he said. “You have to remember that Arsenal don’t have a striker.[Mikel]Merino was playing. I don’t know if you can call him a makeshift striker anymore. He looks like he’s actually doing very well there, but that’s still the story Arsenal don’t want.”

“They want to get their strikers healthy and have success in all competitions and I think that will be in the near future.

“But they need to get everyone healthy and win all the important games in front of them.”