Merson: Arsenal Will Win PL Title, Nothing Else
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- Paul Merson said Arsenal will win the Premier League but no other competition, singling out the league as the only trophy the Gunners will lift in 2025-26
- Nico O'Reilly scored both goals as Manchester City beat Arsenal 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on 24 March 2026, ending Arsenal's pursuit of an unprecedented quadruple
- Arsenal hold a nine-point lead over second-placed Manchester City in the Premier League, with a head-to-head meeting between the two sides scheduled for 19 April
- Merson said Manchester City 'absolutely destroyed' Arsenal in the second half, claiming for 25 minutes no Arsenal player wanted the ball and they were 'booting it back to City'
- William Saliba and Gabriel were the only two Arsenal players Merson said could hold their heads high, rating the other eight outfield players no better than five out of 10
- Merson said Arsenal's Champions League hopes hinge on a likely semi-final against Barcelona, but warned the Gunners lack the pace to trouble Barça's high line compared to Elanga and Gordon
- Arsenal remain in the Champions League and FA Cup quarter-finals, and Merson said it would be the Carabao Cup they would have chosen to sacrifice — calling it 'another trophy gone missing'
Why it matters: Merson's take reframes the Carabao Cup final not as a crisis but as the trophy Arsenal can most afford to lose — he argues the nine-point Premier League cushion, combined with Arsenal's favourable remaining fixtures, makes the title near-clinched, while the real test will come against Barcelona in Europe, where he believes Arsenal's lack of pace will be punished.
