Despite Arsenal’s best efforts to put some distance between themselves and Manchester City at the Premier League summit, Pep Guardiola’s side reels them back in. For the second consecutive weekend, City replied with a victory to keep the pressure on the league leaders. Arsenal defeated Bournemouth 3-0 in Saturday’s midday kickoff, and the Blues reacted a few hours later with a 5-1 thrashing of Wolves at the Etihad Stadium. Erling Haaland nonchalantly assisted himself to four goals, bringing his league goal tally for the season to 25, reducing Arsenal’s lead at the top to just one point. As the finish line approaches, neither side is slowing down.
Despite Arsenal’s one-point lead, the elephant in the room is City’s game in hand. Whatever Arsenal does in their next two games against Manchester United and Everton, City will win their fourth title in a row if they win all three.
City will travel to Craven Cottage to face Fulham on Saturday lunchtime before returning to the city for their home game against Tottenham Hotspur three days later. They will subsequently conclude their league campaign at home against West Ham on May 19.
On present form, it would be risky to bet against City, who have won all three of their previous games. Guardiola’s side has won each of their past six league games, scoring 24 goals in the process. As part of that trend, City has scored four or more goals in five of their past six games, with the exception of a simple 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground just over a week ago. Despite this, the Blues are just one goal away from tying Arsenal’s goal total of 88. Furthermore, City’s thirst for goals in recent weeks has taken them to within six of matching Arsenal’s goal difference; the Londoners presently boast a tally of plus 60, while City’s now stands at
Arsenal can score 89 points if they win their last two games, whereas City can score 91 points if they win their last three games. However, if City wins two and draws one of their last three games, both teams may finish tied at 89 points each.
In that situation, the victor of the title will be determined by goal difference, which means City’s recent goal glut could be crucial in their quest to maintain their crown. This season, the Blues have scored four or more goals in the Premier League on eight occasions, with five of those coming after the March international break. With that statistic in mind, City have kicked into high gear at the perfect time, threatening to outperform everyone they meet. And when Haaland’s seven goals in his last four league games are included in, City’s case becomes even stronger.
Nothing is sure in football, especially at this point in the season, but City are in a strong position to add another Premier League title to their collection, even if Arsenal remain in first place for the time being.
