West Ham attacker Michail Antonio has revealed that Arsenal are ‘definitely feeling the pressure’ of being in a title race after they dropped points for a second consecutive week at the London Stadium.
Mikel Arteta’s side raced into a 2-0 lead against the Hammers last weekend, only to gift the hosts a penalty and a route back into the game. From there, they lost all control, and after missing a penalty of their own, Jarrod Bowen provided the equaliser and a hammer blow to Arsenal’s title hopes.
It was the second consecutive throwaway of points, after they also squandered a 2-0 lead at Anfield to draw 2-2 with Liverpool seven days earlier, and though they remain four points clear of Manchester City in 2nd place, the title is now in their rivals hands with City having a game in hand and also welcoming the Gunners to the Etihad next Wednesday.
SAKA MISSES THE PENALTY! ❌ pic.twitter.com/BPhUevH4NT
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 16, 2023
And, speaking after the clash with the Gunners, West Ham forward Antonio claimed that an inside source in north London had told him that they were indeed beginning to feel the pressure of challenging for the title, despite repeated assertions that this was not the case.
“But last week, when they drew with Liverpool, and City got that bit closer, it was the first time all season that this person – I’m not going to say who the person is – heard players start talking about City and how well City’s been playing”, the Hammers attacker told The Footballer’s Football Podcast.
“I heard this from someone that works at Arsenal. All season they’ve been concentrating on themselves, just playing how they play. They’ve been playing so well,”
Arteta’s side will be looking to re-open a gap to their title rivals when they take on bottom of the league Southampton on Friday night, and could head into the game at the Etihad with a seven point lead at the top of the table should they come away with a win against the Saints.
