Mikel Arteta sends Liverpool new Premier League title race message after Arsenal fall five points adrift
Arsenal are five points behind Liverpool in the Premier League table after a 1-1 draw against Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta insists that Arsenal will be ‘fine’ in the Premier League title race despite losing more ground on Liverpool.
The Gunners find themselves five points behind the current champions after as many games of the 2025-26 season. Arsenal required a stoppage-time equaliser from Gabriel Martinelli to earn a 1-1 draw against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
After Liverpool earned a 2-1 win over Everton in the Merseyside derby the previous afternoon, maintaining their 100 per cent start to the campaign, a sizeable gap has already opened up between the frontrunners. Arsenal lost 1-0 to Arne Slot’s Reds at Anfield last month.
However, Arteta is not yet panicking in the formative stages of the season despite not being able to control Liverpool’s results. The Gunners boss told Match of the Day: "We cannot control that. They win every match. It's going to be very difficult but if we play at this level, like we did against Manchester City, we will be fine."
Arsenal’s performance against City in the first half was lacklustre, with Erling Haaland netting for the visitors. The Gunners did improve after the interval but struggled to create any clear-cut chances before substitute Martinelli’s late equaliser.
Jamie Carragher was critical of Arteta’s tactics in the opening 45 minutes and compared it to when he constantly fell short of challenging for the title during his Liverpool playing days. The former Reds defender said on Sky Sports: “'For me that was a waste of 45 minutes and the reason I’m saying that is because I played for managers like that at Liverpool and we were really close, we were a top team but we never won the Premier League. I felt at times under Gerard Houllier and Rafa Benitez that at times we had the handbrake on.
“That is what Mikel Arteta is doing. I won’t change my mind, Liverpool were there for the taking in the second half at Anfield, Man City were there for the taking at the start of this game and he has allowed them to come into the game. It is a recurring pattern season after season. If you are Arteta or an Arsenal supporter, you have to hope that does not cost you at the end of the season.”