_Rooney Backs Arsenal to Win EPL After Fulham Rout_
BY ROSEMARY UGIOMOH
The Emirates was still buzzing. Red confetti clung to the turf like cherry blossoms after a storm, and the 5-0 scoreline against Fulham hung on the big screen, almost taunting the rest of the league.
In the Sky Sports studio, Wayne Rooney leaned back, mic in hand, watching the highlights loop: Saka cutting in, Ødegaard threading passes like needles, Rice bullying midfielders off the ball. Fulham hadn’t just been beaten. They’d been dismantled.
“Look,” Rooney said, cutting off the panel’s debate mid-sentence. “I’ve played in title races. I know what it smells like. And this Arsenal side? They’ve got the scent.”
Gary Neville raised an eyebrow. “Over City? You’re writing Pep off in October?”
“I’m not writing anyone off,” Rooney shot back, tapping the desk for emphasis. “I’m saying what I see. City are machine-like. Always have been. But machines glitch. Arsenal right now aren’t glitching. They’re hungry, they’re ruthless, and after a statement like today… momentum is a real thing.”
He rewound the tape in his head to his own United days. Those late-season runs where one big win flipped a switch. Fulham away isn’t Anfield, sure. But 5-0? With no Saliba, with Trossard playing false nine? That’s depth. That’s mentality.
“People forgot how young they were two years ago,” he continued. “They’re not kids anymore. They’ve taken their scars. You saw the celebrations, controlled. Not wild. They expect to win now.”
The panel pushed him: “So you’re planting your flag? Arsenal to lift it in May?”
Rooney smirked. The same smirk he had before taking a 30-yard volley. “Yeah. I am. If they keep this level, keep Odegaard fit, keep that defense mean… I don’t see anyone stopping them. Today was a message. And the league heard it.”
