talkSPORT host Jeff Stelling has come to Arsenal’s defense after the Gunners were accused of squandering their Premier League title chances.
Mikel Arteta’s side missed a huge opportunity to boost their league title hopes for the first time in twenty years when they were beaten 2-0 at home to Aston Villa, following rivals Liverpool’s defeat earlier .
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Two late goals from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins mean the title race is now out of Arsenal’s hands, as Manchester City leapfrogged them into first place with a 5-1 victory over Luton a day earlier.
The north Londoners had a chance to regain the lead and open up a three-point gap on Liverpool, but defeat at the Emirates now allows City to maintain the advantage, and the events of the weekend have driven the Gunners to be widely referred to as “jobs in a bottle”.
talkSPORT’s Gabby Agbonlahor took to social media after the match to mock their misfortune and gloat over his former team’s victory in a wild Instagram video.
Laughing as the Arsenal anthem North London Forever played in the background, Agbonlahor said: “Arsenal, bottle jobs. They do it every season, the title is Manchester City and the top four will be Arsenal. “
But Stelling hit back at the claims on talkSPORT Breakfast, arguing the label was harsh on the Champions League quarter-finalists.
Highlighting Villa’s strong second-half performance, he said: “I don’t have it at the moment. I knew the newspapers in particular, and Gabby, would be all over this. “Arsenal bottle jobs”.
“Arsenal were brilliant for 45 minutes yesterday. The problem was that in the next 45 minutes they came up against a team fantastically organized tactically by Unai Emery.”
The host also argued that Arsenal performed well against their football-seeking European opponents, who denied them a first-half lead with a superb save from Emiliano Martinez to deny Leandro Trossard.
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Stelling continued: “I don’t think Arsenal have bottled it. I think they are chasing a fabulous team in Manchester City, they played really well for a long time yesterday.
“Without that save from Martinez in the first half, (it) could have been a very different story. So, let’s leave the bottle aside.
Co-host Andy Townsend agreed and pointed out that with six games remaining it was too early for the Gunners to give up hope as they chase Man City, who won the Premier League trophy during each of the last three seasons.
Townsend replied: “I think you’re absolutely right. I think they’re still traveling in the right direction, Arsenal.
“To lose to Villa in a game like that, as you say, is no shame, because Villa played particularly well. And it’s not over yet, there are still six to go.
“And look, knowing what we know about Manchester City and Pep, and the way they go about it, I think we would all be very surprised if they don’t end up champions.
“However, with six matches remaining at this stage, the Arsenal camp must still remain incredibly positive: they still have plenty to play for.”
Continuing to defend his positions, Stelling then pointed to the number of games Pep Guardiola’s side may still have to play as reason for Arsenal to continue to believe in their title chances.
He said of the City showdown: “Then if you add to those six games, City could have four games left in the Champions League and two games in the FA Cup. Twelve matches, a lot of football there.
Mikel Arteta’s side face a quick turnaround after the Villa defeat, as they now prepare to face Bayern Munich in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final, where they hope to bounce back from this setback with a huge victory.
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