In the highly-anticipated Round 25 Premier League clash, Manchester City 2-1 Liverpool away at Anfield.
anchester United legend Wayne Rooney described Manchester City’s comeback victory over Liverpool at Anfield as a “massive” result for Pep Guardiola’s side, but a “demoralising blow” for Premier League title rivals Arsenal.
Speaking in an interview with Camel Live, Rooney said Arsenal players must “focus on themselves” as they chase the club’s first Premier League title since 2004, adding that City’s win would be a huge setback for their title charge.
“This is a very important victory for City. Anfield is a tough place to play,” he said.
“I thought Liverpool played really well in the second half, and City played well in the first—then they dug deep after going a goal down to pick up three points. If they had dropped points here, it would have been really, really hard to catch up with Arsenal. But this win gives them massive confidence and belief. Arsenal just have to focus on their own games. I’m sure they’ll be watching this match closely because if City had lost, it would have been really favourable for them. But Arsenal just need to get on with their own business.”
“I’ve been there, and it’s really hard to do because Arsenal’s players will almost certainly be at home watching this game, thinking: ‘City are going to drop points now.’ Instead, it’s the opposite, and that’s really demoralising. You waste a lot of energy waiting for the opposition to make mistakes.”
The five-time Premier League champion with United also said Erling Haaland’s return to form is a “terrifying” sign for Arsenal. Haaland bagged 38 goals in the first half of the season but had gone a month without scoring in the Premier League before facing Liverpool.
Rooney added: “I thought Erling Haaland played a bit strangely today, which I’ve never seen from him before.”
“Normally, his strengths are power, speed and being ruthless in front of goal, but today he played further back, creating more chances for City rather than finishing them off. Yet he then played a key part in the equaliser and scored a penalty under huge pressure—a goal that kept them in the title race.”
“This was his first goal for City at Anfield, and you could see the relief on his face. The boost in confidence this gives him will be terrifying for Arsenal over the next few weeks.”
“I think it’s more about confidence. No matter what level you play at, if you can’t score goals week in and week out, it affects you. Maybe that period had an impact on him, but this goal will get his confidence back up again.”
City face Fulham on Wednesday night, and a win would reduce the gap at the top to just three points. Leaders Arsenal, the title favourites, host London rivals Brentford on Thursday night.
