Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson has tipped his former club's rivals Tottenham Hotspur to win the race for fourth place in the Premier League.
On Monday night, Arsenal lost convincingly away at Crystal Palace, with Merson describing the defeat as a 'rough, rough night' for the Gunners. Spurs would have been watching Arsenal's performance at Selhurst Park the next night after beating Newcastle United at home the day before.
Merson believes that Arsenal's performance on Monday revealed a weaker side, and that Spurs are now favorites to finish in the top four.
He wrote in his Sky Sports column: 'There are ways of getting beat and Monday night at Palace wasn't a good way of getting beat. It was worrying.
'I expected one of those performances from Tottenham before the end of the season, I didn't expect it from Arsenal.
'Spurs are the favourites for top four now. When Harry Kane's playing like he is, I don't think too many teams are going to beat them.'
Merson did warn, though, that any injury to Kane would put a stop to their pursuit for the top four.
He wrote: 'But you take Kane out of the team, top four ain't happening for Spurs. It's as simple as that.'
'When he doesn't turn up at Burnley away, they get beaten. Tottenham are a one-man team and that's not being disrespectful,' he added.
'You could have a Ferrari, but without an engine in the car it ain't working. He's the all-round package, and that's why he's the best centre-forward in the world, and I've said it for a long, long time.'
Arsenal must still travel to Spurs, despite the game being postponed in January due to a number of Covid cases in the squad.
Merson believes that the game neutralized any advantages Arsenal might have had from having a game in hand over their rivals.
He wrote: 'Now all of a sudden, Arsenal don't really have a game in hand - because Tottenham have got them at home anyway.
'It doesn't matter what they do with their game in hand, because Tottenham will have to beat them and can overtake them.'
Despite drawing at Leicester on Saturday evening to fall further behind in the Champions League race, Merson feels Manchester United aren't out of the race yet.
He wrote: 'I don't think Manchester United are totally out of the top-four race.'
'The Arsenal result at Palace gives them a chance though. Arsenal and Tottenham have got to play each other, Man Utd have got to play Arsenal, and if results go their way then they are in it,' he added.
'I don't watch them and think "wow", which I do with Tottenham at the moment. I watch United and I don't see it at all. But they're still in it.'
Meanwhile, Arsenal's sorrow was compounded following their thrashing at Crystal Palace when it was announced that left-back Kierney would miss the balance of the season due to knee soreness after returning from international duty.
Tierney was one of the players Arsenal could not afford to lose, according to Merson, and his loss will be felt throughout the season, as proven on Monday night.
'Kieran Tierney is going to be a big miss for Arsenal, after his knee injury before the Palace game. He's one of the players you can't afford to take out of this Arsenal team,' he said.
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