Alan Shearer jumps to Arsenal's defence over set-piece goals & thinks they WILL win Premier League title after Chelsea triumph

This statistic has drawn criticism from those suggesting Arteta’s men lack attacking fluidity. However, Shearer was quick to dismiss such concerns. Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, via Metro, he said: "Yeah, I would perhaps go along with that [the suggestion Arsenal need to be better from an attacking perspective]. But I’d much prefer, obviously, to still be in their position. If they win every game then they win it. As do City, I guess, but I’m not too concerned with that. I just think the bigger picture is that they find a way. They found a way against Chelsea, they weren’t brilliant, but their set-pieces have done it for them again and there’s nothing wrong with that."

As the pressure intensifies at the top of the table, Shearer acknowledged that the players are feeling the strain of a relentless title race. The win over Chelsea was far from a masterclass, but the Newcastle legend believes mental toughness is now more important than performances. "They’re going to be nervy, they’re going to be edgy because of the pressure that they’re under," Shearer said. "They’re human, I’ve been there myself, and it’s a huge ask, it is tough mentally and physically. It drains you."

Comparing the current era to his own title-winning campaign with Blackburn Rovers, Shearer suggested that modern stars face an even greater psychological burden due to the digital age. He added: "I don’t care who or what you are, and it’s worse now than it was in the 1990s when we won it for the first time at Blackburn, because of the noise around social media and what have you. We didn’t really have that and it was still very tough then. I get that they’re not going to be perfect but they’re in a really strong position and I still think that they will go ahead and do it."

Arteta was under no illusions about the difficulty of the task his side faced against the Club World Cup holders. Despite a dominant start, the Spaniard admitted his team had to suffer to earn the victory, especially after Chelsea were reduced to 10 men following Pedro Neto's dismissal. "A proper London derby," Arteta told reporters. "We expected that because of the quality of the opposition, because of the individual quality that they have, and because we played them four times already, so we know how good and difficult they are to play against. After we started the game so well, the first half was very, very dominant. I think the margin and the scoreline should have been bigger. But we were 1-1 [at half-time], so game on."

The Gunners boss even revealed that he looked to the previous week's victory over Tottenham for inspiration during his half-time team talk. Arteta added: "I reminded them that we were in exactly the same position against Spurs seven days ago in that dressing room. They said, 'Look what happened in the second half, so we’re going to do it again, but probably we’re going to have to go through some difficult patches to end the right to win the game.' We certainly did that. We took the moment to score the second goal and after the red card, we all expected a very different outcome in the last few minutes. But we didn’t manage to control and dominate that scenario as well as we wanted. On top of that, Chelsea did some very, very good things in that period and we needed David [Raya] to win us the game."

Arsenal's dominance from corners is becoming historic, with the club now equalling the Premier League record for the most corner goals in a single campaign. Their efficiency has helped them break down sides who employ low blocks against them, and with nine games remaining the Gunners are on the verge of setting a new all-time benchmark for dead-ball productivity, a weapon that could prove the difference in the title race with City.

Arsenal have little time to dwell on their latest derby success as they prepare for a midweek trip to Brighton, a fixture that promises to be another stern test. Pep Guardiola's side remain hot on their heels, having seen off Leeds on Saturday to stay within striking distance. As the "noise" Shearer mentioned continues to grow, Arteta’s squad know that results will always trump style at this stage of the season.

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