Rio Ferdinand says Mikel Arteta mistake cost Arsenal in...

Rio Ferdinand believes Arsenal would be ‘closer to Liverpool’ had if not been for an oversight from Mikel Arteta earlier in the season. Arsenal have work to do in the final few months of the season if they are to reel in runaway leaders Liverpool and clinch their first league title since 2004. Few tipped Liverpool to win the Premier League in Arne Slot’s first season at Anfield but the Reds have moved seven points clear of second-placed Arsenal with 13 games remaining.

Image Credit: Metro [Leicester City FC v Arsenal FC - Premier League]

While Arsenal are involved in a third successive title challenge, Ferdinand believes they would be even closer to Liverpool had Arteta utilised teenage star Ethan Nwaneri more earlier in the season. Arsenal’s major wobble this year came when captain Martin Odegaard was out injured and Ferdinand says Nwaneri should have got more game-time during that period. ‘Arsenal could be nearer to winning the league and closer to Liverpool if your manager played Nwaneri when Odegaard was injured,’ Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel.

‘What he is doing… he is cooking defenders, he is cooking teams. I think if he came in you would have got more points. ‘It’s easy to say in hindsight but I was saying it at the time. Chuck him in and just see, what’s the worst that can happen?. ‘Because you were running up dead alleys at the time and not getting results. Put him in! Odegaard was gone.’. Nwaneri has stepped up for the depleted Gunners since the start of 2025, scoring three goals in his last seven appearances.

The 17-year-old impressed again in Saturday’s victory over Leicester City, which saw Arsenal keep the pressure on Premier League title rivals Liverpool. After Liverpool overcame Wolves later in the weekend, Slot admitted it was a two-horse race for the title. ‘We needed to fight and we needed Alisson,’ he said after the nervy 2-1 win at Anfield. ‘In a season where you want to achieve something, you need to have wins like this as well.

‘Wins like this should also be included where you want to achieve something. You can never breathe in this competition. ‘I see Arsenal’s 15-game unbeaten run in the Premier League and the gap has always been the same, so that shows what we have to do. ‘If you look at the last few seasons it has mostly been a battle between two teams. As things stand, it looks like between us and Arsenal. Their form tells you how well they are doing, but also how well we are doing.’.