Arsenal secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur away from home today to remain top of the Premier League table.
They briefly went four points clear of Manchester City, but Pep Guardiola’s side cut the gap to a point following a 2-0 victory against Nottingham Forest some hours later.
The reigning champions still have a game in hand and the Gunners will be praying they drop points in their remaining four matches
Arsenal have three games left – Bournemouth, Manchester United and Everton – but winning them all will not see them land the title if Man City do not drop points when they take on Wolverhampton Wanderers, Fulham, Tottenham and West Ham United.
Guardiola was asked if the result from the derby piled pressure on his players ahead of their game against Forest, and he had this to say following the match.
“We would have preferred they lost, but we cannot control what they do,” the Man City manager said.
“They got a good result, four games left. I don’t think Arsenal will lose any points so we know exactly what to do.”
Arsenal have been very impressive but could end up ruing that costly loss to Aston Villa two weeks ago.
They have shipped just 28 goals in 35 league games and have lost five times. They would have won the title in some of the previous campaigns with that record, but Man City have been a stumbling block to their ambitions.
Guardiola’s side have lost only three times and have looked invincible in recent months, so it would take some incredible performance from any of their remaining opponents for them to draw or lose going forward.
Arsenal are no longer in control of their destiny following the Villa defeat, but they have to keep winning to give themselves a chance of winning their first league title since 2004.
Manager Mikel Arteta and his players will be monitoring Man City games and hoping they stumble.
This article was written by .
