After a huge weekend in the Premier League, the top four race is now wide open, and the luck has started to swing Tottenham Hotspur's way.
Arsenal's 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace was made worse by the loss of both Kieran Tierney and Thomas Partey. The club have confirmed that the Scotsman is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, whilst Partey is set to undergo an assessment on a thigh issue ahead of Saturday's clash with Brighton.
Meanwhile, Spurs eased past Newcastle at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, winning the clash 5-1. The victory means they now occupy fourth place on goal difference - although Mikel Arteta's side do have a game in hand on their biggest rivals.
READ MORE: Arsenal and Edu set Gabriel Martinelli contract deadline as Brazilian makes 'forever' promise
With Tottenham - and more specifically, Harry Kane - hitting form, Paul Merson thinks that his old side may just miss out on the Champions League places: "Spurs are the favourites for top four now. When Harry Kane's playing like he is, I don't think too many teams are going to beat them," he wrote in his Sky Sports column. "I saw him go to the Etihad and rip Manchester City apart. I saw him rip West Ham apart, I saw him rip Newcastle apart.
"But you take Kane out of the team, top four ain't happening for Spurs. It's as simple as that. When he doesn't turn up at Burnley away, they get beaten. Tottenham are a one-man team and that's not being disrespectful. You could have a Ferrari, but without an engine in the car, it ain't working. He's the all-around package, and that's why he's the best centre-forward in the world, and I've said it for a long, long time."
Merson continued by explaining how big a miss Tierney is going to be for Arsenal as they look to finish in the top four for the first time since the 2015/16 season: "Kieran Tierney is going to be a big miss for Arsenal, after his knee injury before the Palace game," he added. "He's one of the players you can't afford to take out of this Arsenal team. He's solid, he's an 8/10 every week, he sets an example. He's a winner - you know what you're going to get with him, and he was a big miss on Monday night.
"Nuno Tavares had one of them games at left-back, but it's hard when you're out of the team for so long. You're not really playing football - you're just training. Even playing in the U23s, it's not the Premier League. To come in and say: 'Right, play in this game' - you feel for these players. No matter how much you train, it's not the same as playing."
Merson isn't the only one who thinks the Gunners will suffer as a result of Tierney's injury, either. When asked who might prove the biggest miss in Monday Night Football’s clash between Crystal Palace and Arsenal, Wayne Rooney replied “Kieran Tierney." That much was justified by Tavares' horror performance. The Portuguese defender was at fault for Palace’s second goal as he allowed Jordan Ayew to score to breakthrough and score. He was later substituted at half-time by Arteta.
And, because of Arsenal's lack of experience and squad depth in positions like left-back, Rooney also thinks that Tottenham will get over the line: “I think Tottenham are a little more experienced, which may help Tottenham get over the line," he said, as cited by Caughtoffside.
There's ultimately still a long way to go, especially as the two still have to face off in May, but the pressure is very much on Arteta and his young side's shoulders. Whether they can handle it is a different question.
