Momentum has swung back to Arsenal in the Premier League title race following recent games.
Arsenal Capitalise After Man City Draw
Arsenal had a sizable advantage in the title race towards the end of March, but Premier League defeats followed losses in the Carabao Cup final and FA Cup quarter-final. Mikel Arteta’s squad were being weighed down by expectation, with key players unavailable. Pep Guardiola found form with his squad when it mattered most, with a new-look preferred XI rising to the occasion.
Man City had previously missed opportunities to close in on Arsenal. However, the January additions of Marc Guehi and Antoine Semenyo, plus the emergence of Abdukodir Khusanov, Nico O’Reilly and Rayan Cherki, helped Guardiola to puzzle together a side.
From nine points adrift, Man City ensured the title was back in their hands by beating Arsenal 2-1 on April 19. Man City then knew that they would be champions once again as long as they won their remaining five games and finished with a greater goal difference than Arsenal.
Gunners Recover After Etihad Setback
The knock-on effect of reaching the FA Cup semi-final was that the Gunners would have two Premier League games and the chance to pile on the pressure before Man City’s trip to Everton on Monday night.
Arsenal sides in previous seasons would have completely folded after the setback at the Etihad, but they recovered to beat Newcastle United before turning on the style in a one-sided victory over Fulham, having returned to the front-foot approach.
While Man City’s victory over Arsenal felt massive, these two results now feel even bigger following that 13-minute capitulation at The Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday night.
Neville’s Comments ‘Age Poorly’
Man City did show resilience to salvage a point against Everton, but a last-gasp salvo was only required because Guehi and Khusanov had calamitous moments after they were among the players lauded by Neville last month for “relishing” the title race while playing with a “chest out” confidence. Gary Neville’s comments on Manchester City “relishing” the title race have aged poorly, with Arsenal capitalising on this new curse…
Arsenal fans promise to be ‘insufferable’ as Man City ‘bottlers’.