Alan Shearer backs Arsenal's title bid despite set-piece debate

Alan Shearer backed Arsenal’s bid to fend off Manchester City and claim the Premier League after a 2-1 win over Chelsea at the Emirates. William Saliba and Jurrien Timber both headed in from corners, taking the club to 16 goals from corners this season — the joint-most in a single Premier League campaign.

Shearer rejected suggestions that Arsenal’s reliance on dead balls is a problem. Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, he said: "They found a way against Chelsea, they weren’t brilliant, but their set-pieces have done it for them again and there’s nothing wrong with that." He added that he would prefer to be in their position and that consistent wins would deliver the title.

He warned of the mental toll as the run-in tightens, saying players will be "nervy" and that modern footballers face greater pressure because of social media compared with his own 1990s experience at Blackburn.

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