London – This time last month, Arsenal were seemingly in the fast lane to their first Premier League title in 22 years, with a stuttering Manchester City leaking points and losing ground.
On Sunday, however, a rejuvenated City will know that victory over the North London club in a showdown at the Etihad Stadium will make them favourites to reclaim the crown.
Arsenal’s surprise 2-1 home defeat by Bournemouth last weekend reopened the race, and City’s subsequent 3-0 win at Chelsea cut the gap to six points with a game in hand.
If City prevail and then win at relegation-bound Burnley three days later, they would top the table with five games to go and leave Arsenal facing the unedifying prospect of a fourth successive runners-up spot.
Should that happen, it would be a crushing blow for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, whose desperation to deliver the title appears to be weighing heavily on his players.
“You’re going for your first title, you start to become consumed, and it’s the mental and emotional drain that means your legs physically appear tired,” former Manchester United defender and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville said.
“This is where it gets real. This is the title race now, and they \[Arsenal\] have got to clear their minds somehow and get that emotional balance correct.”
While the Gunners are still very much masters of their own fate, with even a draw at City an acceptable outcome, they’ll need no reminder of what happened three years ago. On that April day, Arsenal arrived at the Etihad Stadium as Premier League leaders five points ahead of City, albeit having played two games more.
But City tore them apart in a 4-1 victory that crushed Arsenal’s spirit and propelled Guardiola’s side to a third successive league title by five points.
There’s something about April that brings out the best in City under Guardiola. Since a loss to Leeds United in April 2021, they’ve won 20 of their 22 Premier League games in the month, drawing two.
After a season of inconsistency and dropped points, City are again clicking at just the right time, following a similar pattern to their previous title-winning campaigns. Despite dropping 14 points from winning positions – the highest in Guardiola’s tenure – City entered April unbeaten in their last nine league matches
While City have not lost at home to Arsenal in the league for 11 years, they know they have zero margin for error on Sunday, in what Guardiola describes as “a final”. The Spaniard, who has guided City to six Premier League titles in nine seasons, said: “If they beat us it’s over.” –
**Reuters**