Manchester City have the title race in their hands but the fixture schedule means they are trailing Arsenal in the Premier League table
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 19: Erling Haaland of Manchester City and William Saliba of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal at Etihad Stadium on April 19, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 19: Erling Haaland of Manchester City and William Saliba of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal at Etihad Stadium on April 19, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
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Manchester City have momentum, with wins over Chelsea, Arsenal and Burnley briefly taking them to the top of the Premier League table last week. With five games to go, the title race is in their hands.
Unfortunately for them, it is also in Arsenal's destiny with goal difference potentially the decider once both teams have played 38 games. A play-off is not possible, and if the teams are level on points and goals scored then City will win on head-to-head record.
There is a lot of football still to be played though, and now that City's remaining fixtures are set to be confirmed the dynamics of the run-in have been set. Arsenal have a three-point lead but have played an extra game while Pep Guardiola's side were booking their place in the FA Cup final, and the Gunners can sharpen their edge by beating Fulham on Saturday.
City do not play until Monday, when they could be six points behind as they kick off at Everton. Win that one though and follow it up with a home victory over Brentford on Saturday May 9 and the Blues will likely go top of the league again for at least one more night.
Arsenal make the short journey to West Ham the following day when they can retake the lead, and then City catch up again when they will likely host Crystal Palace on May 13 - although there had been a request to play Bournemouth away instead. Three days later, they are at Wembley to play Chelsea in the FA Cup final with Arsenal playing their penultimate league game that weekend.
Assuming each team has been perfect, City will have a chance to go top heading into the final day when they are set to travel to Bournemouth on Tuesday May 19 for what will be Andoni Iraola's final home game in charge of the Cherries. Finally, Arsenal travel to Palace as City host Villa on the last day in fixtures that will kick off at the same time.
How long each team spends at the top will depend on both their ability to win games but also goal difference, with some victories potentially not enough to take one rival past the other. Arsenal are in front for now though, and unless they drop points they will stay on top for the majority of the run-in; even if City win all their games, if Arsenal do as well the Gunners will remain top for 16 of the remaining 27 days.