When Arsenal visited the Etihad on Sunday to face Manchester City in the epitome of a title six-pointer, hopes were not high among many Gunners fans. Their team had been stuttering along for weeks and came into this massive clash on the back of a tepid 0-0 draw against Sporting and, before that, a disastrously poor 2-1 home defeat against Bournemouth in the league. As it turned out, Mikel Arteta’s men put in a very good performance in Manchester and were perhaps unlucky to leave without a point, or even three.
Unfortunately, when it came to the crunch, Pep Guardiola’s Man City just edged it and moved to within three points of the leaders Arsenal, but – crucially – still with a game in hand. The Gunners might have had the better xG (1.53 to City’s 1.41), but the only stat that truly counts is the scoreline at the final whistle, and that read 2-1 to Manchester City.
Have Arsenal Thrown It Away… Again?
Full-time in Manchester. pic.twitter.com/Rx5sWE9k2d
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 19, 2026
Not so long ago, Arsenal were looking very impressive as they marched towards a possible quadruple. They then lost the League Cup final to Manchester City and got knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Southampton. On the plus side, they battled through to the semi-finals of the Champions League, albeit with a somewhat laboured 1-0 aggregate victory over Sporting. But back-to-back Premier League defeats to Bournemouth and now title rivals Man City, mean that the Gunners could win all their remaining league matches and still lose the title on goal difference.
Such a fall from grace would be very difficult to take for the Gunners faithful and indeed the manager, Mikel Arteta, who runs the risk of going down in history as Arsenal’s “nearly man”. The pendulum has swung massively in Man City’s favour, so much so that the bookies now have Pep’s men priced as the 4/6 favourites, with Arsenal out at 6/5… that’s despite the north Londoners still being top at the time of writing.
One of the big frustrations about Arsenal’s predicament is that they actually played pretty well against City and had two or three chances that, on another day, might have gone in. But what ifs and if onlys don’t win silverware, and the fact remains that the pressure is on Arsenal to win their remaining games and hope that City will slip up.
Man City’s Tougher Run-In
On paper, Man City have tougher games remaining in the title race. But on the pitch, City have looked fluent and determined in recent weeks. Their last four results (in all competitions) give you a good idea of their current form:
| Date | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 19th April | Man City 2-1 Arsenal | Premier League |
| 12th April | Chelsea 0-3 Man City | Premier League |
| 4th April | Man City 4-0 Liverpool | FA Cup |
| 22nd March | Arsenal 0-2 Man City | League Cup |
Pep’s side face Burnley away next, but they are basically relegated already and should, in theory, pose no real problems. After that, it’s the FA Cup semi against Southampton, the side that knocked out the Gunners. Then comes a potentially tricky one for City: Everton away. David Moyes’ men lost narrowly on home turf in the Merseyside derby last time out, but the Toffees will be determined to finish the season strongly as they seek a route into Europe.
After that, City host draw-specialists Brentford (another seeking European qualification) and then a trip to Bournemouth. A home game against the unpredictable Crystal Palace must also be squeezed in somewhere along the way, the match that is City’s true game in hand. There is still no confirmed date for that match though, with various issues making finding suitable window for the game extremely tricky.
After that City will then have their final game of the league season: at home to Aston Villa. Arsenal will be hoping that Villa will still be fighting for a Champions League place when they go to the Etihad, and if they are, they could ask questions of the North West side.
Could Arsenal’s Fine Performance Propel them to Glory?
Clearly, for all connected to Arsenal, it would have been better to have played poorly at the Etihad but still taken the three points. But maybe, when the end of the season rolls around, the Gunners might look back on the City game as the moment they rediscovered their mojo. For the first time in a long time, they took the game to their opponents, created lots of goalscoring opportunities from open play and were bursting with energy.
It’s just possible that, despite losing the game and handing the initiative to City in the title race, the performance (if not the result) will be enough to reignite Arsenal’s fight and determination enough for them to win their remaining games. And then it might just come down to goal difference, with a play-off title decider now ruled out due to City’s win at the Etihad!