Arsenal proved Paul Merson right with title race defeat but Mikel Arteta can still have last laugh

Arsenal legend Paul Merson identified a key edge that Manchester City have over title rivals Arsenal and Liverpool prior to their games on Sunday — and it seems he got his assessment spot on.

The title race intensified on Sunday when Liverpool faced a surprising 1-0 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace, just a day after City had comfortably dispatched Luton Town. Arsenal, who faced Aston Villa later on Sunday, had the chance to leapfrog City by one point at the top of the table with a win.

Discussing the dynamics of the title chase prior to the Villa clash, Merson pointed out a key flaw that both Arsenal and Liverpool suffer from that could come to cost them in the title race — their ability to respond to setbacks.

«With Arsenal since the turn of the year, they haven't gone behind in a game,» he said. «The thing with Man City, if they go 1-0 down against Crystal Palace, there's no panic whatsoever.

»When Arsenal were here against Brentford, it was panic stations. When Liverpool were facing Sheffield United, it was panic stations.

«You don't get that feeling with Man City and that's the difference for me. They have so much belief in their ability that they don't need to worry about anything.»

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His comments were well-timed. Mikel Arteta's side would suffer that exact problem against Aston Villa, struggling to take control of the match and allowing pressure to build at the Emirates Stadium. In a nervy affair, the visitors finally broke the deadlock late on and doubled their advantage minutes later to put the game to bed.

That said, the