Arsenal are mathematically still in the Premier League title race, but Manchester City look champions elect after another setback for the Gunners.
Sunday's 3-0 home defeat to Brighton has left Arsenal four points off League leaders City, who have three games remaining to the Gunners' two fixtures. City's resurgence is a far cry from how the table has looked for the majority of the season, but injuries and a loss of form have struck at exactly the wrong moment for Mikel Arteta's men.
Arsenal have dropped 12 points in their last seven games, taking just nine out of 21 points when the pressure has been on. Arteta refused to concede the title after Sunday's result, but the manager was realistic about the situation and admitted: "I hate the feeling of letting people down when they are expecting something."
HAVE YOUR SAY! Did Arsenal 'bottle' the title? Tell us here.
Piers Morgan has never been shy in offering his opinion on Arsenal. In response to BT Sport's Jake Humphreys stating he 'hated the narrative that Arsenal had bottled it', Morgan replied: "It’s not 'success' to be 8pts clear, then fail to win two consecutive games when we were 2-0 up, go 2-0 down in 10 mins at home to the worst team in the League, get humiliated at City, & surrender in a pitiful manner to Brighton at home today. It’s failure, and we bottled it."
Gary Neville risked the ire of Arsenal fans while on commentary duty for Sky Sports during the Brighton defeat, though offered a measured response on Monday: "All the characteristics of it being too much have appeared... I understand why we want to use less emotive language in 2023. However in a high performance environment and at elite level we must still recognise when pressure has taken its toll."
While it will take time for Arsenal fans to digest what is likely to be a runners-up finish, the questions remains: did the Gunners "bottle" the title race, as Piers Morgan suggests, or is there no shame in going toe-to-toe with a City team who have won four of the last five titles?
Have your say in our poll below:
Once you have voted in the poll, have your say in the comments section here.
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