Arsenal remain in control of the Premier League title race despite suffering defeat in the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City
06:00, 24 Mar 2026
Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta
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Arsenal and Man City are going head-to-head for the Premier League title
Arsenal may have lost the Carabao Cup final but they remain in control of their own destiny where the Premier League title is concerned.
The Gunners currently boast a nine-point advantage over second-place City, though Pep Guardiola's men still have a game in hand to fulfil against Crystal Palace (H) between now and the end of the campaign.
But even if they win that game, they still have plenty of work to do to catch Arsenal, whose goal difference (39) is also significantly superior to City's (32).
Arsenal could reach a maximum points total of 91 while City can still hit 85 points, providing they beat the Gunners next month at the Etihad Stadium.
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Mikel Arteta's men require 16 points, five wins and a draw, to mathematically end their 22-year wait for Premier League glory.
However, if they were to go to the Etihad Stadium and win on April 19, Arsenal could wrap up the title when they travel to West Ham on May 9, providing they also win their other three games before then.
There's also a chance City could drop more points before then as they travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea after the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Arsenal host Bournemouth, head to City then have two further home fixtures against Newcastle and Fulham before trading blows with relegation-threatened West Ham.
Mikel Arteta during the Carabao Cup final
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Mikel Arteta and Arsenal endured Carabao Cup final heartbreak on Sunday(Image: Glyn KIRK / AFP via Getty Images)
Beyond that they also host Burnley, who will likely be relegated by that point before heading to Crystal Palace on the last day of the season.
City's remaining fixtures after Chelsea and Arsenal are Burnley (A), Everton (A), Brentford (H), Bournemouth (A), Aston Villa (H) and Crystal Palace (H).
Speaking to CBS Sports, two-goal Carabao Cup final hero Nico O'Reilly says City "smell blood" as they look to hunt down the Gunners.
“The blood never went, we’ve always smelt blood," he said. “We’re confident in ourselves, we know we can do it. They’ve got to come to our place, which is a tough place to come to as everyone has seen this season. So we do smell blood and we’ve got to keep going.
“It [winning the final] does a lot for us, builds momentum and just push on now. It’s a big blow for them. They were going for everything, just as we were [before defeat against Real Madrid in the Champions League].”
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