Chelsea put in a spirited performance to hold off Arsenal on Sunday and Paul Merson claims they could finish ahead of Manchester City, but I doubt the Gunners are being chased.
Manager Paul Merson believes Chelsea have the ability to overtake Manchester City and finish second, but said, “I can’t see anyone who can reach the leaders, Arsenal.”
The Blues put in an impressive performance on Sunday, holding off the Gunners despite being man-down for more than half the game. After Moises Caicedo was shown a red card, Trevor Chalobah helped take the lead and Mikel Merino equalized.
Chelsea entered the weekend in second place, but the stalemate saw City jump back in front. Josep Guardiola’s side needed a last-minute goal to beat Leeds, but they are still not as strong as they used to be.
Despite losing four times this season already, Melson, who watched Chelsea on Sunday, believes they can use their squad’s depth and special strengths to surpass City in May.
“I’m sure you’ll be impressed with the way Chelsea played against Arsenal,” Melson told Sportskeeda. “Enzo Maresca would be very happy to be able to play that kind of football against a team like Arsenal, even though they had their best player, their engine, sent off.”
read more: Thiago Silva sends emotional message after his son joins Chelsearead more: VAR advice reveals why Moises Caicedo was sent off as Chelsea fumed over inconsistency
“I always say that Chelsea are a very young team, but they have a lot of full-time players for their home country. Despite their youth, most of them have a lot of experience playing at the top level. If you look at Chelsea’s squad, they definitely have the ability to finish above Manchester City this season.”
City have only failed to finish in the top two once in the past nine seasons, last season. Erling Haaland’s goal kept them level with Arsenal, who trail them by five points, as the north London side look to end their 21-year title wait.
Arsenal’s chances of winning the Premier League have never been more likely in recent memory, and overall they looked like they were crowned champions. Despite dropping points against their rivals, former players insist their habit of winning against other teams has paid off.
“Arsenal have dropped points against Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, but they have won against everyone else and that makes a difference. If we had told them at the beginning of the season that we were going to play Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Chelsea in a week’s time and win two wins and one draw, they would have held out all day,” Merson said.
Join our new WhatsApp community! Click this link to receive daily Mirror Football content. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can always check out. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports Premier League and EFL package discounts
£49
£35
sky
Get the deal here
Sky has reduced the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 on their bill and offering more than 1,400 live matches from Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will broadcast at least 215 live Premier League matches next season, with an increase of up to 100 more.
