19 February 2023 , 12:54
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Alan Shearer believes that Arsenal will win the Premier League title if they can keep Thomas Partey clear of injury.
The Gunners currently sit at the top of the division, two points above second-place Manchester City following Saturday's results. Mikel Arteta's side returned to winning ways with a 4-2 victory over Aston Villa, while City dropped points as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest.
Those have changed the complexion of the title race once again after it looked like City would continue their winning streak at Forest, having won at the Emirates in midweek. But Chris Wood's 83rd-minute strike denied Pep Guardiola's team victory after Bernardo Silva had given them the lead.
Earlier, Arsenal had come from behind to beat Villa in the West Midlands, with Emiliano Martinez's late own-goal proving decisive before Gabriel Martinelli added a fourth.
Asked for his prediction on the Premier League title race, Shearer said on BBC's Match of the Day: "I know Thomas Partey is out injured at the moment, but if Arsenal can get him back and then have a little bit of luck between now and the end of the season with keeping their key players fit, I think they will do it, I really do.
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"Based on the second-half, Arsenal deserved the three points today. But they didn’t just get the win, they sent a message out to Manchester City too.
"Sometimes you just need to find a way to win and they did that in the second-half. When you look back at the game against Man City [Arsenal lost 3-1], they made two huge errors and got punished for them. They missed some big chances as well and that was the difference between the teams."
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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta (Getty Images)Arsenal were trailing at one point in the game at Villa Park as Ollie Watkins and Phillipe Coutinho gave Villa the lead heading into the half-time break. But the Gunners came flying out of the blocks at the start of the second period and found an equaliser when Oleksandr Zinchenk struck from range.
That sparked an onslaught of pressure from the Gunners, who, in truth, should've scored before the late winner as Martin Odegaard, Gabriel and Eddie Nketiah all missed guilt-edge chances. And the Gunners were due a piece of good fortune when Jorginho's long-range strike hit the woodwork, before bouncing off Martinez's head and into the net.
Then after a Villa corner, Arsenal wrapped up the points on the counter-attack after Martinez went up and left the goal gaping. Martinelli ran through on goal and tapped the ball into an empty net to secure all three points for the Gunners after going three matches without a win.