Arsenal will secure Premier League title with Fulham win, says Merson
Paul Merson believes Arsenal will end their 22-year wait for the Premier League title if they defeat Fulham this weekend, despite Jamie Carragher warning the fixture represents a dangerous banana skin.
Mikel Arteta’s side currently hold a three-point advantage over rivals Manchester City at the summit of the table, though the reigning champions retain a crucial game in hand.
The league leaders moved back into pole position following a nervy 1-0 victory against Newcastle, secured by a ninth-minute strike from Eberechi Eze.
However, the Gunners were fortunate to escape with all three points after Yoane Wissa blazed a late, close-range opportunity over the crossbar.
Nerves creeping in for title chasers
Former Arsenal midfielder Merson expressed concern over the sluggish nature of that performance, highlighting an expected goals output of just 0.49 against the Magpies.
Despite those obvious attacking struggles, the pundit remains adamant that navigating the upcoming test against Marco Silva’s team will definitively end their two-decade championship drought.
“Beat Fulham and it’ll be Arsenal’s league title,” Merson declared on the Premier League Show.
“In the end, they were hanging on. It’s a hard watch because of the nerves.”
The former England international added that the current squad cannot afford the heartbreak of finishing as runners-up for a fourth consecutive season.
European schedule presents a hurdle
Fellow pundit Carragher took a more cautious stance, pointing to the immense physical toll of an impending Champions League semi-final tie against Atletico Madrid.
The crunch domestic fixture against Fulham arrives just four days after their pivotal European first-leg encounter.
Carragher argued that balancing elite continental competition with a ruthless domestic title race could ultimately derail the North London club’s ambitions.
“If Arsenal continue in that vein, as we saw at the weekend against Newcastle, I don’t see them winning all the games,” Carragher told Sky Sports News.
The former Liverpool defender emphasised that playing three high-stakes matches within a gruelling six-day window puts the current pacesetters at a significant physical disadvantage.
