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Jamie Carragher has suggested Arsenal will miss out on the Premier League title if they continue to play like they did in their Champions League quarter-final win over Sporting.
The Gunners took a 1-0 lead back to the Emirates Stadium for next week’s second leg thanks to Kai Havertz’s injury-time winner.
Arsenal had lost back-to-back games before their trip to Lisbon, suffering a Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City before a shock FA Cup loss to Southampton.
It looked as though Mikel Arteta’s side would have to settle for a draw against Sporting but substitute Havertz came off the bench to score a late winner.
Carragher said beating Sporting was a ‘big result’ for Arsenal given their recent wobble but was far from blown away by the Premier League leader’s performance.
The Liverpool legend and ex-England defender even suggested Arsenal would once again fall short in the Premier League title race if they replicated that performance for the rest of the season.
Arsenal boast a nine-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the table ahead of Saturday’s home match against Bournemouth.
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‘It was a big result for Arsenal but it wasn’t a great performance,’ Carragher said on CBS Sports.
‘They won and that was the big thing after losing two games but it wasn’t a great performance. It wasn’t like they played fantastic but they won the game.
‘But do you think if they play like that for the rest of the season they will win the title? We’ll see.’
Carragher, who won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, added: ‘It will be tough for Sporting to get back into the tie now.
‘Even though Arsenal didn’t play well it never really felt that they were in danger or being threatened. I didn’t feel like Sporting could hurt them too much.
‘It almost felt like a group game instead of a quarter-final, it was a completely different level of pace and probably quality compared to the Real Madrid-Bayern Munich game.
‘Arsenal had them at arm’s length and were never going to take many risks away from home.’
Arsenal matchwinner Havertz, meanwhile, was delighted to contributed to a ‘much-needed’ win following two disappointing defeats in the domestic cup competitions.
‘I think we needed that as we were all frustrated with how the last couple of weeks went,’ Havertz said.
‘But it’s time to move forward, it’s time to be positive, and it’s time to all stick together as a group – as players, staff, fans, we’re all in this together and we still can make something happen this year.
‘It can be something very special, that’s what we’re going to go for, and now it’s time to win games.’
Arsenal’s Premier League title rivals Manchester City dropped vital points against Nottingham Forest and West Ham before the international break.
But Pep Guardiola’s side looked in ominous form as they beat Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final before thrashing Liverpool 4-0 in the FA Cup.
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