Will the Gunners continue their late dash for the top-four, Liverpool may have to dig in at West Ham and Fulham have history on their side in the play-offs
Though a top-four finish remains out of Arsenal’s hands, the thought of them maintaining the comforting status quo with another late spurt of form is no longer so outlandish after Wednesday’s win at Southampton. It is more of an unconvincing crawl than a relentless charge for the finishing line, with the recent defeat at Tottenham brutally exposing this team’s deficiencies, but momentum belongs to Arsenal after their strong response to last month’s humiliation at Selhurst Park. Without playing with any particular coherence since that harrowing defeat by Palace, they have willed themselves back into the race through sheer persistence and, whether by luck or design, Arsène Wenger’s switch to a back three is working. But here comes another test of their infamous mental strength: a trip to the Britannia Stadium on Saturday evening, where Arsenal have not tasted victory since February 2010. As ever, much will depend on Mesut Özil and Alexis Sánchez, who combined to devastating effect just when it seemed that Arsenal were running out of ideas against Southampton. JS
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