Jamie Carragher claimed that “the only team that can stop Arsenal winning the Premier League is Arsenal” after the Gunners ran rampant in a 4-1 win over local rivals Tottenham to open up a six-point lead at the top of the table.
A hat-trick from Eberechi Eze – the first in the north London derby since 1978 – helped Mikel Arteta’s side to thumping win at the Emirates, with the dominant nature of the performance further underlining the Gunners’ title credentials.
And Carragher was quick to highlight that Arsenal are the clear favourites for the title, after Manchester City’s defeat at Newcastle and amid champions Liverpool’s dismal run of results under Arne Slot, explaining that the Gunners are the best team in the league.
Arsenal have finished runners-up in the Premier League three years in a row, to Manchester City twice and Liverpool last year, and Carragher said the Gunners would have no excuses if they are the bridesmaids again this season.
“The only team that can stop Arsenal winning the league is Arsenal; they are the best team. They are the best squad,” Carragher said on Sky Sports. “The only thing that can stop them is their own heads, their own mentality. Maybe this crowd getting nervous in March and April, if the league is still up for grabs by then.
“This would be the one. If they didn't win it, I think we'd all point the finger at them and say, 'You threw this away’. I don't think that's ever been the case before. I always think the case has been that there has been a team slightly better than them in the Premier League, but that is definitely not the case this season.
Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry agreed with Carragher, explaining that it is time for the Gunners to “embrace” their status as favourites for the title.
“At some point, you have to embrace it,” he said. “People are talking about the process. It's not believing in the process anymore. It's happening.
“We put ourselves in the situation where we believe we have the best squad. So you need to make sure that you can win the league. I'm not saying they are going to win it but you need to act like you are the favourite.
“Embrace it. It's not me trying to put pressure. If I were coming back in the summer, I would have said, 'It's time to stop messing around'. We now need a performance this year where people are scared of us.”
Mikel Arteta accepted that Arsenal have to think about themselves as they go into a pivotal week. “You have to go game by game and the league is so tough, the margins teams are winning games now is so reduced,” Arteta said. “We have to maintain our momentum, enjoy today and then tomorrow, Bayern Munich."
Arsenal’s next match in the Premier League produces another test of the Gunners’ credentials, as they face second-place Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, while they will face arguably their toughest test of the season so far when they take on Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday.
