West Ham United namedropped by Paul Merson in ‘unbelievable’ Arsenal title race verdict
West Ham United have been namedropped by Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson in a Premier League title race verdict.
Merson hopes that the Gunners do not miss out on a league title due to their losses to the Hammers and Fulham in December.
David Moyes’s side clinched a 2-0 win in North London on December 28, with the Cottagers then beating Arsenal 2-1 at Craven Cottage three days later.
“Arsenal will go top on Saturday if they get the job done against Brentford, who have a lot of good players out, so they’ve got to put the pressure on the others,” Merson wrote for Sky Sports (5 March).
“They are so different to last season because Declan Rice has taken them to another level. He’s up there with Rodri and that’s why Man City and Arsenal have great defences. They are so disciplined it’s unbelievable.
“Arsenal have won seven in a row now and that break they had has helped them, but when you look back at their results, I hope the week when Fulham and West Ham beat them isn’t what costs them.”
Will the West Ham win over Arsenal help decide the Premier League title?
Arsenal have been in superb form lately, with those defeats to West Ham and Fulham seemingly kick-starting a fantastic run in the league.
It has almost been the opposite for the East London club, who have found wins hard to come by under Moyes in 2024.
The Hammers have, however, got back to winning ways lately, and are now on a two-match winning run thanks to victories over Brentford and Everton.
Those wins have helped them rise back up the Premier League standings, and have seemingly eased the pressure on Moyes in the dugout.
But that league momentum is set to be disrupted now, with the Hammers travelling to Germany to take on SC Freiburg next.
The Europa League round of 16 first leg clash takes place on Thursday (7 March), with the London Stadium hosting the return leg a week later.
The pair have already met in the competition this season, with the English club winning both of the group stage matches.
In other West Ham news, Dean Jones has shared a fresh London Stadium exit update regarding one Hammers star.
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