Jamie Carragher has drawn a bold line in the title race, insisting that if Arsenal overcome West Ham at the London Stadium, the Premier League crown will effectively be theirs.

The former Liverpool defender delivered his verdict after a chaotic night for Manchester City, who surrendered a winning position and needed a late equaliser to salvage a 3-3 draw at Everton. City’s failure to take all three points leaves Arsenal five clear at the top, with three games remaining for Mikel Arteta’s side and four for Pep Guardiola’s champions.

The equation is brutally simple for Arsenal: win their final three league fixtures and they will end a 22-year wait for the title. The first of those hurdles comes in east London, where West Ham await a side that could arrive buoyed by progress in Europe, with a Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid looming.

For Carragher, the psychological impact of City’s slip and the timing of Arsenal’s trip across the capital make the West Ham clash decisive. Speaking on television analysis, he argued that the momentum has swung decisively towards the Emirates.

“From an Arsenal perspective, tonight is about the league. If Arsenal win against West Ham next Sunday, they win the league,” he said, framing the London Stadium fixture as the moment the title race could be settled in all but mathematics.

Yet not everyone is ready to anoint Arsenal just yet. Club legend Thierry Henry urged caution, warning that West Ham could play the role Everton just did for City and inject fresh drama into a campaign already defined by sudden swings.

“Now it’s back in Arsenal’s hands. It’s not in Man City’s hands anymore,” Henry said, before stressing that complacency would be fatal. He admitted he had anticipated City dropping points at Goodison Park and confessed to being “worried about the West Ham game” from an Arsenal perspective.

Henry pointed to signs of tension in City’s display, describing how Guardiola’s side “imploded” and allowed Everton back into the contest through uncharacteristic mistakes. But his message to Arsenal was uncompromising: ignore City, focus on results, and treat every remaining fixture as a final.

“There’s no maybe. Win your games. Don’t look at City. It’s in your hands,” he concluded, capturing both the opportunity and the pressure now resting on Arsenal’s shoulders.