Frank Leboeuf rules one team out of Premier League title race after Arsenal drop points against Chelsea

Frank Leboeuf has ruled one of Arsenal’s rivals out of the Premier League title race after Mikel Arteta’s side saw their lead at the top of the table cut to five points.

The Gunners faced off against Chelsea in a fiery London derby on Sunday, but had to settle for a draw despite having a man advantage for the majority of the game.

Moises Caicedo’s sending off reduced Enzo Maresca’s side to ten men, but the Blues hit the front after the break through Trevor Chalobah’s header from a corner.

Arsenal responded well and equalised through Mikel Merino’s close-range header to ensure they walked away with a point, which extended their unbeaten league run to ten matches.

However, by dropping two points at Stamford Bridge, the league leaders saw their lead cut to five points after Manchester City secured a dramatic 3-2 win over Leeds United on Saturday.

The victory, inspired by Phil Foden’s impressive brace, means Pep Guardiola’s side leapfrogged Chelsea and moved up into second.

Chelsea, meanwhile, dropped to third, although the gap between themselves and Arsenal remains just six points following the draw.

After an intense seven-day stretch, which saw Arsenal also face local rivals Tottenham and European heavyweights Bayern Munich, perhaps a drop-off in performance was to be expected.

But Leboeuf was left particularly unimpressed by two Arsenal players, telling ESPN: ‘I think the leaders, and I’m talking about (Bukayo) Saka and (Eberechi) Eze, they were only a shadow of themselves for me today.

‘We didn’t really see them do what they had to do and what they normally do. Eze was absolutely invisible up to the point that Arteta substituted him.

‘And defensively, other than Declan Rice, who is always is the right guy in the right place, the others not so much.’

Chelsea ‘not ready’ to contend for league title

Despite the performance, Leboeuf insisted that Arsenal remain the clear favourites to win their first title since 2004, but the former Chelsea defender admitted he is not yet convinced by his former side’s title chances.

‘They (Arsenal) are still the big favourites but they will have to prove it. They lost four points against Sunderland and Chelsea,’ Leboeuf added.

‘Manchester City are back, Chelsea are still there and we’ll have the winter period, which will start very soon, so let’s see. That period is always crucial and if you miss the curve, you can be on the final line in danger. But I think they should win the title.

‘Chelsea is getting more mature but they are not ready to win the title. And we don’t know about Man City because they can still be inconsistent, so I think Arsenal are still the favourite, but I like the fact that we can still have a race and its not given up already after that game.

‘Ten against 11, Arsenal should have got the three points and been seven aead of the others but it’s nice for the Premier League.’

Elsewhere, former Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley said the title race is opening up for Arsenal, who he suggested are the strongest side in the league ‘by a stretch’.

But the Scotsman warned the Gunners that they will face a ‘psychological battering ram’ if they fail to get over the line this season after three consecutive runners-up finishes in previous campaigns.

‘It really is there’s to go and win this year and if they don’t, it’s really going to throw up more questions than answers,’ Burley told ESPN.

‘It’s a decent version of City, but it’s not the best; it’s an evolving Chelsea side, one that hasn’t got over the line and is very young, and it’s certainly not the best version of Liverpool by a long shot.

‘So when you think about that and the sides that are really going to be in the horse race, they are either struggling or we really are unsure about them.

‘If Arsenal don’t get over the line this year, that’s going to be a psychological battering ram for them because they are the strongest in this league by a stretch, but if they somehow let one of those others win it, I wouldn’t want to be Mikel Arteta facing the questions.’

City have a chance to cut the lead at the top of the table to just two points when they visit Fulham on Tuesday.

Arsenal and Chelsea, meanwhile, play again on Wednesday, with the Gunners hosting Brentford at the Emirates, while the Blues face a trip to Elland Road to take on Leeds United.

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