Alan Shearer believes that Brighton will prove to be Arsenal’s main title challengers over the likes of Manchester City this season.
Defending champions Arsenal are now five points clear at the top of the league table following their hard-fought 1-0 win at home to Hull City on Saturday.
Conversely, it was another bad weekend for Manchester City as their third successive league defeat saw Enzo Maresca’s side slip to third.
That defeat for City means Brighton are now second in the table after Fabian Hurzeler’s side continued their superb start to the season with a 2-0 win over Brentford.
The Seagulls have already beaten both Arsenal and City in the league this season, with no team scoring more goals and only Arsenal conceding fewer after ten games.
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And former title winner Shearer believes that their early-season performances are evidence enough that they will provide the sternest test to Mikel Arteta’s side in this season’s title race.
‘Brighton could be Arsenal’s main challenge to the title this season,’ Shearer told Betfair.
‘I think Liverpool are in transition. Chelsea, same thing. They still have plenty of work to do with those football clubs.
‘Brighton have been incredible. The football that they’re playing, I mean, in Europe too, whether that will hinder them the longer the season goes on I don’t know, but they’re managing really well at the minute.
‘I don’t think they’re going to go away. I think they’ll be around for the majority of the season.’
While some pundits are keen to talk up Brighton’s chances, key midfielder Pascal Gross said he and his teammates are not getting ahead of themselves despite their impressive start.
Who are Arsenal’s main title rivals this season
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Manchester City
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Brighton
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Liverpool
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Chelsea
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Other (comment below!)
‘No, we’re not, but we’ve had a really good start to the season,’ Gross said last weekend when asked if his team could go toe-to-toe with Arsenal between now and May.
‘It’s the beginning of the season. You see the Premier League and the margins and you look at the results.
‘We’re not getting carried away or anything like that, every game we have to suffer and sometimes it’s momentum.
‘But we’re really pleased to go into the international break like that.’
Brighton face a trip to Hull on their return from the international break, while Arsenal will take on Newcastle United at St James’ Park.
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