Carragher: Arsenal Must Finish Premier League Job or Champions League Final Becomes a Burden

Arsenal's grip on the Premier League title has tightened considerably in recent days. Following victories over Newcastle and Fulham, coupled with Manchester City's slip-up against Everton, Mikel Arteta's side now hold a five-point advantage over the defending champions—who do, however, retain a game in hand.

The narrative surrounding the title race takes centre stage this weekend. City entertain Brentford on Saturday evening, while Arsenal face West Ham on Sunday afternoon in what promises to be a crucial encounter.

Jamie Carragher has been weighing in on the significance of Sunday's fixture, suggesting that if Arsenal navigate their way past the Hammers, the prize will be within touching distance. Speaking at the 2026 Women's Football Awards, the pundit outlined precisely why the West Ham match carries such weight across the entire Premier League landscape.

"If Arsenal get over the line against West Ham, I can't see them messing it up from there," Carragher remarked. The fixture, he argued, carries implications far beyond the two clubs directly involved. West Ham themselves are battling relegation and desperately need points, whilst Tottenham and Manchester City will be equally invested in the outcome given its bearing on the title race.

Yet Carragher raised an intriguing complication: should Arsenal fall short in their quest for the Premier League crown, their appearance in the Champions League final against PSG could become something of a millstone rather than a cause for celebration.

"That game will be a real problem if they don't win the league," he explained. Carragher drew parallels with Liverpool's experience in recent years, when the Reds' prolonged absence from the title conversation made securing the domestic crown their overriding obsession. Whilst the Champions League represents football's ultimate club prize, Carragher suggested that Arsenal's hunger for the league after years of falling short would supersede all other ambitions.

"When you've gone so long without the league, they'll be desperate for that," he said. Yet he remained bullish about Arsenal's prospects should they maintain their current trajectory. A Premier League triumph would provide enormous psychological momentum heading into a Paris final, though he acknowledged that PSG represent the superior force on paper.

"If they win it, which they should do given their position right now, it'll give them a huge boost," Carragher concluded. "We all know PSG are the better team, but that doesn't mean Arsenal can't win a one-off game."