Gary Neville reveals why he now DOUBTS Arsenal can win the Premier League – despite backing them in the summer – after spirited Man City snatched a point thanks to John Stones' late equaliser

Following the Gunners' 2-2 draw with serial winners Manchester City on Sunday, Gary Neville has backtracked on his earlier prediction that Arsenal would win the Premier League this season.

At the start of the season, the former Manchester United defender expected Mikel Arteta's team to deliver on the promise they had shown over the previous two seasons, but they fell woefully short of expectations on the final day of the season.

Trying to secure their first win at the Etihad under Arteta, the Gunners were forced to defend strongly to protect their 2-1 lead with just ten men after Leandro Trossard was sent off just minutes into the second half.

But despite coming close to securing a win that could be decisive in the title race this season, the visitors were denied by John Stones, who scored late in injury time to give both sides a point.

After the draw in Manchester, Neville was forced to rethink his predictions, largely due to Manchester City's years of dominance under Pep Guardiola.

John Stones (centre) managed to score the final equaliser past David Raya and thus secure the point.

Gary Neville has suggested the draw has cast doubt on his lofty predictions for the north Londoners

“I backed Arsenal at the start of the season because I felt that when a team is chasing you, they will eventually get there and most of the time they will get closer and closer,” Neville told the Gary Neville Podcast on Sunday.

“Today felt like a monumental, defining moment in Arsenal's journey to the league title.

Two seasons ago they just fell apart in the last ten games, last season they were so close, and then you think, “Okay, they're learning, they're maturing.”

“Just think, where will we be with this game in April and May?”

“Are we going to look back at the last minute and what happened with John Stones' goal? Are we going to think that City won the title by one point and that moment was the decisive one?

“It's ridiculous because points will be lost, mistakes will be made and there will be a lot of wins to be had until the end of the season. But that's the situation when you play against Pep Guardiola. He gives you that feeling.”

Arsenal took a 2-1 lead in the second half, but also lost a player

Mikel Arteta (left) has long been trying to outdo his former boss Pep Guardiola (right).

Even though Manchester City players got a point and could not go home empty-handed, they were somewhat unsettled by Arsenal's away performance.

Bernardo Silva took aim at the “dark arts” of Arteta’s men as they struggled to defend their lead in the second half.

Arsenal were defensively minded for the last 45 minutes, failing to get a single shot on goal while their opponents managed just 24. The depleted team did everything they could to win.

In the final minutes of the game, the players attempted to further disrupt City's game plan with time-wasting tactics and brawls.

“It was just a team that came to play football,” said a critical Silva after the final whistle.

“Unfortunately, the other one reached the limits of what was possible and what the referee (Michael Oliver) allowed.

Guardiola noted the remarkable number of Arsenal players who suffered cramps as the visitors tried to defend their lead.

“We are not satisfied because we wanted the three points, but I am satisfied with our performance. I am glad that we always go out on the field and try to win every game. That started in the first seconds.”

Guardiola was also slightly critical in his post-match comments, saying he did not know “how many (Arsenal) players suffered cramps in the later stages of the game.”

With the draw at home, Manchester City took the lead in the Premier League after the weekend's matches, one point ahead of Liverpool and Aston Villa in second and third place.

Arsenal are now in fourth place after their second draw of the season, three points behind their rivals.