Arsenal were heavy favorites of taking home their 14th domestic league title, but as of the 29th of April, recent results have seen their 1st place lead slowly slip away, with the champions Manchester City closing up very close in 2nd. Arsenal have gone winless in their last 4 games, as City have gone unbeaten in their last 5 games, putting them 2 points near Arsenal with 2 games in hand. How did this happen? Well, let’s take a look:

Arsenal’s last win came against Leeds United in London with a 4-1 win over the relegation-looming side. The Gunners were flying through the league at this point, with only 2 losses as April came around. However, after their last win against Leeds, they needed to come to Anfield to play a somewhat mediocre Liverpool, who are battling for a Champions League spot after a season of winning 2 domestic trophies and being runners-up in the league and Champions League. The game ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw, with many saying that this was the game of the season. Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus both scored for Arsenal, while Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino scored for Liverpool. Mohamed Salah missed a crucial penalty for Liverpool, which spared Arsenal a point. Most notably, Arsenal midfielder Grant Xhaka and Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold got into a very heated confrontation during the match.

This confrontation riled up Anfield at the time—when their side was already losing 2-0 to Arsenal. However, the stadium seemed to have lifted the Liverpool players into a fantastic comeback, with the Gunners ‘bottling’ their lead for the match to end 2-2. Head Coach Mikel Arteta cited his disappointment, explaining in his post-match press conference that “We have to look at ourselves in the mirror and we should have done better in the second half.”

Confidence in the Gunners camp surely had been lowered by this draw, but they still could keep the momentum going, if they could defeat their mid-table rivals West Ham United, who have had a disappointing season at the London Stadium, going from 7th to 14th. However, Arsenal yet again slipped up to a 2-2 draw. They once again lead 2-0 early, courtesy of Gabriel Jesus and Martin Ødegaard, but conceded 2 unanswered goals from Mohamed Said Benrahma and Jarred Bowen. Bukayo Saka had the chance to win the game for Arsenal but missed a decisive penalty. Mikel Arteta made 5 substitutions to desperately change the result, but they had little effect.

However, he assured Arsenal fans that this was a simple blip, and that they would not slip up in the race for the Premier League title. On the other hand, City handed Leicester a 3-1 beating at the Etihad and started closing the gap to Arsenal. Manchester City have won the league title 3 times over the last 4 years, with their most recent title being won last season in May. They are experienced, while Arsenal only came 5th last season and has been going through a long mediocre run.

Fans of the Gunners around the world started to get quite nervous. Manchester City looked stronger by the day, but if they would win their remaining games, they could still wrap up that 14th league title. Upcoming for them was bottom-of-the-league Southampton, who are arguably the worst team in the league with many pundits predicting them to get relegated to the Championship, the 2nd division in England. Unfortunately for Arsenal, the match began with a disastrous error from their goalkeeper, Aaron Ramsdale. Later, goals from Southampton’s Carlos Alcaraz, Theo Walcott, and Duje Caleta-Car followed with a quick reply from Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli, which saw the Gunners trailing in the 70th minute 3-1, but a rapid-fire goal from Martin Ødegaard and a last-second equalizer from Bukayo Saka saw Arsenal draw 3-3 at their home ground in London.

It appeared that the wheels were coming off of the Arsenal train, and they were coming off fast. It was not terrible, as they still were on a short unbeaten run, but had only recorded 3 draws in a row. It was clear that the pressure of winning the league was getting to the players’ heads, and that a change in form had to happen if they wanted to be champions. However, their recent draw has secured them a Champions League place in the top 4, which was their original goal at the beginning of the season. Obviously, the goal now was not to let the league title slip away from their fingertips.

The Gunners now were facing their title rivals, City, away at the Etihad in Manchester. This would surely be Arsenal’s last chance to give themselves something to hang onto… if they were to win of course. However, the match ended in disappointment. 4-1 was the final score, with City’s Kevin DeBruyne, John Stones, and Erling Haaland tormenting the Gunners, while their own Rob Holding grabbed a late consolation goal. It was an agonizing and disastrous performance, and the players knew it.

The full-time whistle finally blew after 2 minutes of added time, which felt like hours for the players. Control was in the hands of City now, with them having 2 games in hand to Arsenal, and only treading them by 2 points. This means that if City were to win those 2 games, this would thrust them ahead of Arsenal with only 5 games left.

Now, Arsenal has to invite Chelsea, who have gone from 3rd place last season to a record-low 11th. Surely the Gunners can secure all 3 points, but only time will tell. Though, unfortunately for them, City has a very easy set of upcoming fixtures, so dropping points seems almost impossible.

Arsenal should not have gone winless in their last 4 games, but they have. Most likely, it all comes down to nervousness. Arsenal has one of, if not, the youngest team in the Premier League. They are also inexperienced, with no background in taking on a powerhouse like City to win the title. In contrast, City has won leagues already and has a lot of playing experience. Some predicted this to happen, while others hoped and prayed that the Gunners’ youthful side could grab as much confidence as they could and pull through. However, even if they will not win the league, they should be proud. They have completely exceeded their expectations, and who knows—maybe they’ll win it next season.

Arsenal’s remaining fixtures:

• v. Chelsea (H)
• v. Newcastle (A)
• v. Brighton (H)
• v. Nott’m Forest (A)
• v. Wolves (H)

Manchester City’s remaining fixtures:

• v. Fulham (A)
• v. West Ham (H)
• v. Leeds (H)
• v. Everton (A)
• v. Chelsea (H)
• v. Brighton (A)
• v. Brentford (H)

By Matthew Polyak