Mikel Arteta makes Son Heung-min joining Arsenal claim after painful Man City miss

Mikel Arteta says Tottenham captain Son Heung-min is the one Premier League player he would have wanted on the end of the opportunity that could have put Arsenal in control of the title race.

The Gunners are preparing for a final-day showdown against Everton knowing they will need a huge favour from West Ham to stand any chance of ending their 20-year wait for the title.

Manchester City’s 2-0 victory over Spurs in midweek has put the defending champions two points ahead of Arsenal, meaning they will lift the trophy if they beat West Ham at the Etihad Stadium.

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Any slip-up would open the door to Arsenal, aiming to win the Premier League for the first time since 2004, but in another world Arteta’s side would already be top and have their title destiny in their own hands.

With Man City 1-0 up at Tottenham and time running out, Son had a glorious chance to equalise as he took the ball from Manuel Akanji and raced through on goal, but his shot was blocked by substitute goalkeeper Stefan Ortega.

It was a gut-wrenching moment for Arsenal fans but Arteta insists Son was the one player he would have wanted on the end of an opportunity to disrupt Manchester City’s title charge.

‘If I had to pick a player in the Premier League for that moment then it would have been him,’ Arteta said.

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‘Michael Jordan explained it many times, how many times you have the winning shot and how sometimes he didn’t always manage to do it. This is the beauty of the sport too, so what can you do?

‘The hope was there and it didn’t happen. Now we have to do our job which is going to be tough because Everton are in a good moment.’

Arteta added: ‘It’s one of the biggest weeks for sure for many of us. Certainly now is the most important moment. Can’t wait for Sunday to be in front of us. Very optimistic for the possible outcome.

‌’So we have to prove again that we can be better than the opponent and win the game. We have to wish for the best and wish for West Ham to have a really good day and help us to fulfil our dream.’

While few pundits are predicting a title shock on the final day, Arteta still ‘believes’ his Arsenal side could be crowned Premier League champions.

The Gunners have enjoyed a brilliant campaign, winning 27 of their 37 games to take Manchester City all the way in the title race.

‘We are in the last day of the season playing for the Premier League,’ Arteta said. ‘The Premier League trophy hasn’t been at the Emirates yet and it was built almost 20 years ago.

That’s a long, long time. We have to be very optimistic. The trophy is going to be there and it’s possible we have to do our duties and then we wait and see what happens.

‘If I don’t believe today then imagine how much I could believe in August. Then from August with 38 games against Man City, with what they’ve done in the last 12 or 13 years and what we’ve done in the last 20 years in the Premier League, we have zero chance then.

‌’We can’t start like this. We have to believe, that’s for sure.’