Neville Slams White's 'Weak' Defending; Arsenal One Step Away from Glory

Gary Neville has launched a scathing attack on Ben White's defending after the Arsenal right-back's injury against West Ham, while declaring the Gunners are within touching distance of their first Premier League title in 22 years.

Arsenal edged past West Ham 1-0 on Sunday evening in a grinding encounter that saw them move five points clear at the summit. A VAR intervention from Darren England at Stockley Park proved decisive, and crucially, the Gunners now need just two wins from their remaining matches to seal the championship.

The afternoon proved frustrating for Mikel Arteta's men, who were forced into tactical reshuffles after White went down injured in the opening 45 minutes. The England international's misfortune drew particular ire from Neville during Sky Sports commentary.

"Ben White just hangs his leg there. It's poor from the right-back," the former Manchester United defender said. "He's up against Summerville; he's got to be stronger than that. He's hurt himself there. That's easily prevented if you go in strong and with a real sturdy block. He's hung his leg out in pretty weak fashion—you're asking for trouble."

Neville reflected on his own playing days to underline the point, before expressing concern over the severity of the injury. "Ben White will regret that because that could see him out of the World Cup," he noted. "We don't know the diagnosis yet, but they can be four to six-week injuries which would obviously be a big problem for Ben White in terms of the World Cup and the Champions League final. Let's hope it's not that bad, but that type of injury comes from that challenge."

On the broader significance of Arsenal's grinding victory, Neville was emphatic about what the result means for the title race. "This is one of those moments where Arsenal might think their name is on the trophy," he said. "The drama—if Arsenal are going to go on and win a title, this is the half. This is the game that will go down in folklore. The late goal, the late VAR decision from Stockley Park from Darren England, and Arsenal get over the line. It's a monumental movement towards a first Premier League title for this great club in 22 years."

Roy Keane echoed the sentiment, praising Arsenal's resilience despite the unconvincing performance. "It was an emotional game, not the best quality but Arsenal got the job done," Keane said. "A lot has been made of Arsenal's mentality in recent years but that is what top teams do—you have to give Arsenal credit. There will be relief in the dressing room because they might have thought they had lost the title at the end there."