Arsenal have seen their nine-point lead over Manchester City cut to just three after the Premier League title race took a twist and Erling Haaland has had his say
07:49, 21 Apr 2026
Mikel Arteta is feeling the pressure at Arsenal
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Mikel Arteta is feeling the pressure at Arsenal
Much has been discussed regarding Arsenal's mindset following Sunday's crucial 2-1 loss to Manchester City.
The Gunners have watched their nine-point advantage over their competitors reduced to merely three points after second-placed City's potentially title-defining triumph. Erling Haaland's 65th minute effort proved decisive after Kai Havertz had initially equalised Rayan Cherki's first-half opener.
Mikel Arteta's team endured their fourth loss in six outings across all competitions to conclude a dreadful month which also witnessed them fall to City in the Carabao Cup final and crash out of the FA Cup. Anything short of victory against Newcastle at home this Saturday in the league could spell catastrophe, considering City still possess a match in hand. Here's all the latest news from the Emirates Stadium.
Martin Odegaard of Arsenal (L), Declan Rice of Arsenal (C) and Eberechi Eze of Arsenal look dejected
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Arsenal have lost consecutive league games(Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside via Getty Images)
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'Bottle' accusations dismissed
Danny Murphy has stood by Arsenal by insisting they are not guilty of "bottling" the league this campaign - as they have been charged with doing both lately and previously, reports the Mirror.
The Gunners have remarkably concluded as runners-up in each of the last three seasons and face the prospect of achieving this for an unprecedented fourth consecutive time.
But despite the oversimplified story that their recent loss at City was down to them bottling it, the Gunners actually put in a creditable display and were unfortunate not to claim a point.
That's the opinion of Match of the Day pundit Murphy, who has backed their showing at the Etihad, arguing the title race remains alive with five matches remaining.
Danny Murphy pictured this season on Match of the Day
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Danny Murphy believes Arsenal played well against Manchester City(Image: BBC)
Murphy penned in his BBC column: "I have heard lots of criticism of Arsenal recently - how they have bottled it in games or are falling away again when it matters - but that was certainly not the case on Sunday. It was a disappointing result for them but when they review this game in the cold light of day they cannot be disappointed with the performance.
"They had a real go at Manchester City in the second half and created some really good chances. On a different day they could easily have won this game, they would be nine points clear and we would all be saying the title race is done.
"The reason Arsenal will be kicking themselves is because we did not see this intensity when they lost at home to Bournemouth last week. Maybe that was because they are playing a lot of games at the moment and energy was a factor, but I think it is more to do with mindset.
"I was at Emirates Stadium for the Bournemouth game, and I did not see the energy and urgency from Arsenal that I saw at Etihad Stadium. Yes, Arsenal have messed up recently, but not this time."
Haaland plays mind games
Erling Haaland of Manchester City taunts the Arsenal fans whilst being filmed by a steadicam after the Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal at Etihad Stadium on April 19, 2026 in Manchester, England.
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Erling Haaland after Man City's crucial win over title rivals Arsenal(Image: Getty)
City striker Haaland has seemingly adopted a contrasting stance to Murphy.
Some Arsenal fans claimed the Norwegian attempted to unsettle Arsenal's players by highlighting the fact they have consistently failed to deliver on their title aspirations in recent campaigns during his post-match interview.
Haaland's vital strike made Pep Guardiola's side the new bookmakers' favourites to claim the championship once again. And he wasted no time in reminding his fierce opponents that history seems to be repeating itself yet again.
When questioned whether City were occupying Arsenal's thoughts, he said: "I don't know. You need to ask them. The last seasons they've come up short."
However, praising their rivals, he added: "[But] I don't want to speak too much about them, because they are an amazing team and we should focus on ourselves."
While Arsenal haven't secured a title in over two decades, City have been crowned English football's dominant force four times in the past five seasons, with Liverpool the only team to halt their dominance.
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Meanwhile the Gunners have now suffered consecutive league defeats at a crucial juncture in the campaign.