Gary Neville's accurate prediction about Premier League title race re-emerges

Gary Neville could well be proven right after Liverpool and Arsenal both lost crucial games to hand Manchester City the advantage in the Premier League title race.

City beat Luton 5-1 and now hold a two-point lead over their rivals following a potentially decisive weekend which saw Liverpool beaten 1-0 by Crystal Palace and Arsenal turned over 2-0 by Aston Villa. Having sat third going into the weekend, Pep Guardiola’s side are now in the driving seat with six matches remaining as they aim for a sixth title in seven seasons.

The defeats by Palace and Villa are fresh in the mind, but Neville previously predicted that other results would shape the title race. Speaking after City beat Manchester United 3-1 in the derby on March 3, Neville expressed his belief that Liverpool and Arsenal needed to beat City to tilt things in their favour.

Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw at Anfield by the defending champions on March 10 before Arsenal drew a blank in a 0-0 stalemate at the Etihad Stadium on March 31. Speaking on Sky Sports before those games Neville felt that the challengers needed to make a statement and plant their flag in the ground by beating City.

“I genuinely think Liverpool and Arsenal have to think they can beat Manchester City,” Neville said. “They have to think this way to create this monumental shift in belief that City have they’re going to win the league, it’s their time of year, they’re experienced, they’ve won three on the bounce.

“I always think when we lost titles, whether it be with Chelsea and [Carlo] Ancelotti, or [Sylvain] Wiltord at Old Trafford, or [Marc] Overmars scoring at Old Trafford, the team that went on to win it came to Old Trafford and won.

A dejected Emile Smith Rowe of Arsenal

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“They didn’t just come to Old Trafford and draw and get a point and did OK, they came and shocked us. I think that is what Liverpool and Arsenal have to do to take the belief away from this Pep Guardiola team because they’ll think it’s ominous at this moment in time.”

City will face Brighton, Nottingham Forest, Wolves, Fulham, Tottenham and West Ham in the remainder of the season. And with a two-point head start and a 27-game unbeaten streak behind them, they are now firm favourites to lift the trophy on May 19.

Erling Haaland of Manchester City celebrates

“They like to play under pressure,” Guardiola said of his players. “They like it when you are dead or alive. That doesn’t mean we’re going to do it, but I’m pretty sure we will be there until the end, because I know them.

“I see their faces before, in the meetings before games, and how they prepare. Does that mean we’ll be Premier League champions? No, no. I’m not saying that. But we will compete, that’s for sure. What we’ve done this season, we live for that. Playing for something – the big trophies – and still we’re there, again. It’s so good.”

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