The race for the title, Merson talks about the conclusion of the Premier League

In a surprising turn of events, former Arsenal star Paul Merson made a daring assertion on Sky Sports about the potential influence of television schedules on the Premier League title race. His comments, however, were swiftly reined in by the show's host, Kelly Cates. Merson's remarks came in the context of Arsenal's commanding 6-0 victory over West Ham United at the London Stadium.

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Despite this impressive win, Arsenal remained in third place behind Manchester City and Liverpool. The football pundit suggested that his former team was at a disadvantage due to the repeated scheduling of matches after its title competitors had already played. Manchester City achieved a 2-0 victory over Everton at the Etihad Stadium in Saturday's early match, while Liverpool clinched a 3-1 win against Burnley at Anfield later that afternoon. Arsenal's demolition of West Ham brought its goal difference to +31, equal to Manchester City's and just shy of Liverpool's +32, as Jürgen Klopp looks to bow out on a high note.

Merson voiced his concerns during his punditry stint with Roy Keane and Gary Neville following Manchester United's 2-1 triumph over Aston Villa on Sunday evening. He boldly stated, "I think it will come down to who starts playing first at the weekend. I really do. I think it's a massive thing. Arsenal played today." His statement was met with a playful rebuke from Cates, who defended Sky Sports' scheduling decisions with a lighthearted comment: "Don't start people blaming us!" Undeterred, Merson continued his argument, emphasizing how playing first could exert pressure on subsequent teams.

"I'm not saying that... but they've had to win today just to stay where they are. It takes its toll. "If you talk to Tiger Woods, who plays matchplay, he wants to put his ball on the green first and then put pressure on. It makes a difference. "When it comes down to it, I want to play first. I want to play on Saturday morning. I want to play at 12:30pm. I want to... bang, get my three points and sit and watch."

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Merson's theory

At this point, Cates interjected again. She warned Merson not to share his theory with Klopp, with Liverpool's manager known for his aversion to early Saturday kick-offs and while the comment was light-hearted, the pundit would do well to heed the warning, with the German having not reacted well to the issue being trivialized in the past. Currently, Arsenal trails Liverpool by two points and is on par with Manchester City at 52 points. However, Mikel Arteta's squad has played one more game than Pep Guardiola's reigning champions.