Neville questions his Premier League title prediction after late drama between Man City and Arsenal

Gary Neville has expressed doubts about the pre-season Premier League title prediction after watching Man City draw with Arsenal in the last minute.

John Stones scored an injury-time equaliser as the champions secured a 2-2 draw in a thrilling Premier League encounter at the Etihad Stadium, with the Gunners playing with ten men in the second half.

arsenal had come from behind to take a 2-1 lead, but the tone of the game changed after Leandro Trossard was sent off shortly before half-time.

The Londoners stayed deep to pressure and frustrate City at every opportunity, but their hopes of victory were dashed when Stones converted a rebound in the eighth minute of stoppage time.

Neville said before the season of his prediction for the Premier League title: “I picked Arsenal to win the Premier League last year and I'm sticking with them this season. They are on an upward trend and are getting better every year.”

“Of course, they are up against one of the best teams this league has ever produced, Manchester City under Pep Guardiola, so it is always going to be tough. However, I feel that Arsenal have stability with manager Mikel Arteta.

“And they have stability in a team that is still improving. You can't write off Manchester City, but I'm betting on Arsenal again. They were so close last year and I think they will be able to make the decisive step this time.”

But Neville sees Stones' last-minute equaliser as a key moment in the title race and is concerned about the impact it could have on Arsenal at the end of the season.

Neville told Sky Sports: “I backed Arsenal at the beginning 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.

“Today was a monumental, defining moment in Arsenal's journey to a league title. Two seasons ago they just fell apart in the last 10 games, last season they were so close and then you think: OK, they're learning, they're maturing.

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“You just have to wonder where we will be in April and May with this game. Will we remember the last minute and what happened with John Stones' goal? Will we think City won the title by a point and that moment was the deciding factor?

“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.”

Commenting on Arsenal's performance against his team, Man City boss Pep Guardiola told reporters: “They played well, I'm happy.

“I can't expect not to suffer against Arsenal. They defend so deep and (Bukayo) Saka often came inside, which is not easy.

“They defend the tackles, they are aggressive in one-on-one situations. They are a really tough opponent, our biggest competitor in the last two years.”

“We were lucky to beat them (for the championship title). I know the fight, we know it.

“We say to ourselves: 'OK, this is the level for our competitors.' We can handle it, we accept the challenge and there are still 99 points (to be won). We'll see what happens.”

READ MORE: Mediawatch: Arsenal 'have the champions in their grasp'; how dare 'soft' Pep be happy?