North London will stick together on Tuesday as Arsenal need support from rivals Tottenham. That’s why Kai Havertz made a statement that would cause an uproar under normal circumstances
ManCity and Arsenal fans are experiencing unfamiliar emotions in the tight title race. Some Sky Blues supporters were certainly looking forward to Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon and keeping their fingers crossed for city rivals Manchester United. But it didn’t help: the Red Devils lost to Arsenal, whose fans are now experiencing similar emotions to the Citizens
North London rivals Tottenham, of all teams, could tip the scales in Tuesday’s replay against City and put the title in the Gunners’ hands with just a draw. Accordingly, the Arsenal players made statements after the final whistle in Manchester on Sunday that, under normal circumstances, would cause great displeasure among their own supporters. “I will be the biggest Tottenham fan of all time! We all will be,” declared Kai Havertz in an interview with Sky.
The German international played a big part in keeping Arsenal in with a chance of winning the title until the final matchday, as he set up Leandro Trossard’s winner on Sunday and is now his team’s top scorer in the Premier League in the 2024 calendar year with 14 goals. However, the focus after the 1-0 win was not on Havertz and Co. in attack, but rather on the defense around the strong William Saliba. “We conceded very little – and that’s what got us the result,” said Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal set a new record for wins
This means Arsenal have not conceded a goal in 11 of their 19 league games this season. In Premier League history, only Chelsea are ahead of the Gunners in this statistic with twelve games (2008/09). While the team did not achieve this record, it did set another: Arsenal won 27 Premier League games for the first time in the club’s history. “That’s not progress, that’s history. That’s very difficult to achieve – especially in the league we’re playing in now. A big compliment to all the players and staff for what they have achieved,” said Arteta.
However, the historic season is unlikely to stay in the minds of most supporters if Tottenham and West Ham don’t help
